A Beautiful Sadness
by wolfgangwalker12
Summary: Kate is an alpha. Humphrey is an omega. Simple as that, right? At first, Kate is fine with not being able to have relations with an omega, but as she begins to truly realize the depth of her feelings towards Humphrey, the line that separates alphas and omegas becomes blurred. Kate sets out to make things right between her and Humphrey, but by doing so she only makes things worse...
1. Lost in Anger

**Hey everyone, I'm back after a VERY prolonged absence. I've probably been tinkering with this story now for a solid week, but it's still not exactly perfect.**

**But, I hope you like it anyways and as always PLEASE leave a review. I love learning from my mistakes and I thrive on compliments, and I will always respond to all reviews. **

**This is rated T just for some possible language and some possible future themes, but nothing too bad. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy it!**

**-wolfgangwalker12**

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><p><strong>-A Beautiful Sickness-<strong>

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does.  
>Love is a battle,<br>love is a war;  
>love is a growing up.<strong><br>**  
>-James A. Baldwin<p>

**Chapter 1: Emotions Uncovered**

The train scampered along the tracks silently and smoothly, snaking its way towards its final destination in Canada. Its cargo was comprised mainly of coal and some other miscellaneous supplies, but it also was carrying two wolves, who stared silently and morosely at the fast approaching Jasper Park. Not a sound could be heard except for the stifled rattle of the train and the lugubrious moan of the wind.

Neither Kate nor her omega counterpart was eager to get back to Jasper, but Kate knew she was bound by her responsibilities, so there they were; home-bound. Kate knew she would miss being on the road with her companion, Humphrey, but she didn't quite know exactly why. Sure he was fun; with that inimitable charm and comical smile that made her feel warm inside. His charisma alone had captivated her, and intoxicated her with a sense of peacefulness that enveloped her entire being. And not to mention he had made the entire ordeal of getting home somewhat pleasurable, which she hadn't expected from him.

Yet, there was still something else between them; a sort of undeniable tension in the air that hung between her and Humphrey like a turbid fog. She couldn't even look at him anymore without feeling an electric jolt run through her, numbing her senses and making her head spin.

_Did he get the same feeling? _She wondered to herself. _Was he having as much trouble as she was making sense of all her mixed emotions towards their friendship?_

She couldn't take the silence anymore between her and Humphrey. It made her sick to her stomach thinking about what would happen to their close-knit relationship after they got back home and she married Garth, so she decided to at least tell him how much she had treasured his help over the past few days.

"There's something I-!" She uttered, but was cut off by the silvery wolf beside her, who had just mimicked her word-for-word.

There was a quick moment of shock that registered on Humphrey's face, and Kate herself felt a hot blush rising to her cheeks. They both looked away embarrassingly and then both looked up at each other simultaneously, making the situation even more awkward for the both of them. They were both caught in a moment of silence, each gazing into each other's eyes.

Humphrey finally motioned for her to go first, but Kate found herself at a loss for words. She was caught in the trance of his amazing azure eyes. After a few quick moments, she snapped out of it and returned to the real world again.

But yet, her usually teeming and decisive mind was now at a standstill. What could she tell him now? She couldn't possibly try to explain her confused emotions to him now, especially with them being so close to their destination. So, she simply fumbled out some words about how their whole ordeal had been 'fun' and all he said in return was, "I told you, we make a pretty good team." And now she realized, they truly did.

Despite their differences along the way, they had been able to make it all the way home. Through all of the obstacles, the hardships, and their own emotional struggles, they had remained as one unit, and Kate knew that was more precious than anything waiting for her back home. She was now truly beginning to piece together her complicated mélange that embodied her affections for Humphrey when out of the corner of her eye she saw two familiar looking wolf packs about to tear each other to pieces.

Instinct told her to intervene. Her heart told her to stay there with Humphrey. But, instinct won the upper hand, and she dashed off, leaving Humphrey hanging in mid-sentence.

_If only she had known then that she was making a decision that would ultimately change the course of her life forever._

And the next thing she knew, she was dashing into the middle of two soon-to-be warring packs, and announcing that she would be marrying Garth in front of everyone to stop the fighting from culminating any further. But before she had time to realize the consequences of her actions, it was done. She had now just told the world that she would marry Garth and unite the Eastern and Western packs, causing a clamorous uproar from the crowd around her.

She was now being bombarded by some of the other wolves, who were now frantically asking her about every detail of the wedding. Most of the quips were about how perfect Garth was, and that she was the luckiest girl in the world, but for some reason all she could think about was that one forgotten omega, who seemed to have been lost in the anarchy.

_They should be cheering for him instead of me. He saved me, and no one is even thanking him. _Kate thought angrily.

_He's the hero, not me._

She looked on among the chaotic fray of wolves that were now encompassing her on all sides, searching for Humphrey, but even through the crowd she was able to find him. She could spot those dazzling eyes of his from a mile away now. He was looking down at the ground; his usual exuberant self seemingly vacant. He looked up at her, and she stared right back, something she wished she hadn't done. Another electric jolt shot through her as she felt herself cringe in remorse just looking into his eyes. In one glance, she could feel his anger, sadness, and his hurt. But, the eye contact was severed in an instant, as another mob of wolves blocked her view of him. All she wanted to do was see him again, and tell him that everything would be okay.

_But nothing is going to be okay between us anymore... _she thought wearily.

The last she saw of him, he was turning to leave, walking slowly in the opposite direction. There would be no words of congratulation from him tonight.

But no, this was more important right? Uniting the packs so they wouldn't starve? She couldn't be worrying about Humphrey when she had a whole packs fate on her shoulders. For some reason though, she was still getting the feeling that something had been left unsaid between them.

The last of the milky sunset finally steeped below the mountains, giving way to a silvery ribbon of stars shadowed by the opaque emptiness that was the night sky overhead.

That night, Kate lay looking up mournfully at the night sky as the stars danced around on a stage of pure perpetual blackness. She couldn't sleep, as the thought of Humphrey plagued her mind. For some reason, she thought she had just completely let him down.

That look he had given her back when she had announced the marriage haunted her deeply and reminded her of her unfeeling nature towards him during their time together. She knew she had seemingly used him, yelled at him, and she knew she hadn't given him a scrap of respect the entire time during their adventure, treating him like some unwanted accessory. But she had done something else as well. Something that had agitated the very essence of their friendship, and had sent everything that defined their complicated relationship crumbling down.

Then, in an instant it became all too clear. Her heart dropped, and despair washed over her like a surging tidal wave. She realized why she was so unenthusiastic about marrying Garth, and she understood the feeling she got whenever she looked at Humphrey. Her heart skipped a beat and nearly stopped completely.

_"You're in love with an omega… You- you're in love with Humphrey!" _She said to herself. The words sounded foreign to her as they rolled off her tongue. It was as if she didn't even know herself anymore. But she _did_ know that she had to accept the fact that she wanted, no, _needed_ Humphrey as more than just a friend, but she knew it could never be a reality. Humphrey was an omega, and she knew just as well as anyone else that they weren't allowed to be together.

The rest of the night, she pondered on how she could explain herself to her father, and how she would tell Humphrey about how she felt towards him. But for some reason, she just couldn't picture her and Humphrey ending up together. It was just _so_ perfect, yet so forbidden. Of course, they could never be with each other unless they ran away, so if he even reciprocated her feelings towards him, they would still have to find a way to escape Jasper and survive outside the park.

It was all so _unfair_. Why couldn't they just live together in Jasper in peace? Why weren't alphas and omegas allowed to be with one another _anyway_? It all didn't make much sense to her, but she understood that pack law was everything to them.

As she drifted away, she began to dream of Humphrey. She imagined his face, an image that brought peace and clarity to her befuddled mind. She imagined kissing him, something she had never even considered doing with another wolf, but she trusted Humphrey, and wanted to show him that she truly loved him. He had always been the one since they were cubs, and throughout her life of variables he had been the one true constant. She loved him with all her heart, and she only wished that she could be with him right now to tell him that.

Morning came faster than expected, and Kate bolted upright as soon as the first tendrils of sunlight crept their way into the den. Her heart was racing, and she could feel all of her repressed emotions boiling within her, waiting to be released, waiting to be expressed.

She went straight to her father, Winston, who was still fast asleep.

"Dad," She said quietly as she nudged him. He began to stir, so she nudged him again.

"Dad, wake up. I have to talk to you." She whispered to him again.

"Mmmmmm, what?" He said groggily as he struggled to sit up.

She led her still half asleep father outside their den, so they wouldn't be overheard. "What is it Kate?" Winston said irritably, "It's too early, the wedding doesn't start for a while now."

"Dad," She said pressingly. She was now pacing, and her thoughts began to blur. "I, I, I…" She stuttered, as she fumbled with her words.

"Spit it out Kate, what's going on?" He said, now more urgently than angrily, realizing that there was something wrong with her. Kate's heart beat like a drum in her chest, and she just couldn't put the right words together. She tried to say something, but yet she faltered. A pained expression began to dawn upon her face. After a few long, tedious seconds, she spit out,

"I, I can't get married! Not to Garth anyway…" She said as she lowered her head, looking shamefully at the ground. She knew this would break her father's heart to hear that his daughter didn't even have the fortitude to marry Garth and unite the packs.

Her father didn't utter a word, so she looked up, expecting to be met with a face of shock or disappointment, but instead found the grinning face of her father. It was a look of understanding, and empathy; the last thing she expected from her dad.

"I know Kate… it was wrong of me to expect so much of my little girl. I understand that marriage is a big thing and-"

"No dad!" Kate blurted out indignantly "That's not why dad! I can handle marriage! It's just because I…" But the words were sucked right out of her mouth. Now her plan of going up to her father and saying, "Dad, I love Humphrey, and there's nothing you can do about it!" seemed completely outlandish now.

"What Kate? What's going on?!" Winston asked, now more suspicious than anything.

"Dad… I- I have feelings for someone else."

"Someone else Kate? I never see you socializing with any of the other alpha males during the howls, so who could it _possibly_ be?"

"Um well that's the problem." She said as she let out a nervous chuckle, "The wolf I'm in love with… is- is an omega."

Then Kate did something that shocked her father and herself as well, and did something she hadn't done since she was a pup. She began to cry, letting her tears ebb down her cheeks and plunge to the ground mutely.

Her father gave a hearty laugh and put his paw on her shoulder.

"Kate, dear, you know that just because you're… in love with an omega doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

"Yes it does dad! I can never be with him, at least, not around _here_."

"It's Humphrey isn't it?" He said, still with an unnerving look of serenity to his face.

"How did you know?" She said looking up with an expression of awe, teardrops still clinging to her cheeks, emanating the light of the amber sunrise that now was making its grand ascent into the sky.

"You two have always been close Kate, and I was always afraid that you two would fall in love, so I tried to keep you two further apart, but obviously that backfired."

"I mean, I just can't help having feelings for him. He's always been there for me, and I always feel like I can truly be myself around him. And after he saved me I- I just realized… he was the one. What's wrong with me dad?"

"Nothing's wrong with you Kate, you're just in love, and I understand that. You need to go and tell him how you feel."

Kate was amazed that her dad was actually trying to convince her to tell an omega that she loved him, but she wasn't about to argue with him.

"But dad, I'm afraid that he might not even love me back. What if I call off the wedding and then find he doesn't like me back? Then all I would be doing is hurting the pack. Besides dad, he's an… _omega_." She winced as the word 'omega' rolled off her tongue like poison.

"Trust me Kate, he loves you. He wouldn't have risked his life to bring you back home if he didn't love you back. You have to open your eyes Kate. Humphrey truly cares about you, and he proved it by helping you get home, even if it meant he couldn't be with you. I know there's a tradition we have upheld for generations about alphas and omegas, but that doesn't mean it's right. You should be able to have a life with whomever you choose. But, can you handle the consequences if you two are caught together?"

"Yes." She said firmly. And she was completely prepared to leave, if that's what had to be done.

"Good," Winston said, "You know I'll always be proud of my little girl, no matter what choices she makes."

Kate smiled, amazed at her father's compassion. "Thanks dad…"

"Well you better hurry Kate. Go and tell him how you feel, and I'll take care of calling off the wedding. Hopefully I can get the other pack to understand your situation, but if I can't you might not be able to come back to Jasper." He said grimly.

"I understand." She said solemnly, as she realized that this could very well be the last exchange she would have with her father if the pack decided to banish her for loving an omega. "Thanks again." She said as she gave him a quick hug and then ran off to go find Humphrey.

She was as happy as ever, knowing that she would finally be able to tell Humphrey how she truly felt, which would take a tremendous burden off her shoulders. She dashed through the woods, shouting his name.

"Humphrey! Humphrey where are you?" She called, but was only met with the howling of the wind and the melodic rustle of aspen leaves and pine needles as they swirled around her in a jamboree of scarlet, tangerine, and jade as the wind took them up into the skies.

She was about to disband her search for him when suddenly, two familiar birds came swooping in.

"Marcel, Patty!" She exclaimed as she approached the birds. "Have you two seen Humphrey anywhere? I can't seem to find him." She asked.

Right away she knew something was wrong.

Marcel looked at Patty, and Patty looked back at Marcel, both exchanging uncomfortable looks.

"Um, Humphrey didn't tell you?" Marcel asked nervously. "Mademoiselle, Humphrey uh… left."

"Left? What do you mean _he left_? Left where?!" She started to shout angrily.

"Um yes, last night… he boarded the train again and took off." Patty said. "He seemed pretty upset, and I assume it had something to do with you perhaps?" Both of them shot her an accusing look. Kate bowed her head in shame. She knew that they were right and she _was_ the one who had caused this whole ordeal.

She was the one who had caused him to leave.

"Yes it did have something to do with me…" She said, eyes still fixed on the cold, dank ground underneath her feet. "I know that I hurt him and now I need to make things right." Kate said urgently. "Now show me which way he went!" She demanded, with renewed ferocity, as she glared daggers at the two birds, making the hair on the back of their necks go rigid with fear.

"Um…" Marcel gulped, trying to hide his fear. "Alright, we will show you where he went, but you better hurry. The next train could be here anytime."

Kate immediately began to sprint in the general direction of the train tracks, with Marcel and Patty on her tail.

Her love for him was so strong that there was no danger she wouldn't brave to get to him. She had to reach him, even if it meant risking her heritage, her future, and her safety. She would give it all up for Humphrey, and that's what scared her the most.

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><p>Well, there it is and again I hope you liked it! As always, you can check out my profile for updating times and other information regarding my stories. You can also PM me if you have any other questionscomments/suggestions/etc.

And again, be sure to leave a quick review. Thanks!

Until next time,  
>-wolfgang<p> 


	2. Meant To Be

**Hey everyone! Well here you go, the second chapter. Of course, I hope you like it. **

**And thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad some of you were fond of the first chapter, and I hope the second one is just as good. The kind words really help motivate me to keep writing, so thank you for doing so.**

**Well as always, enjoy and please leave a quick review and I'll be sure to respond to it! Thanks,**

**-wolfgangwalker12**

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><p><strong>-A Beautiful Sickness-<strong>

**Chapter 2: Meant To Be**

Humphrey had boarded the train without hesitation, and even as Jasper faded into oblivion, he didn't look back. He didn't shed a single tear, for he had already cried for her. He had honestly thought that she had been the one, and he had even fooled himself enough into thinking that there was a possibility that she had even _wanted _him.

He scoffed at this, finding his own stupidity mildly amusing.

_How could she have ever loved you? You're just an omega and a friend, and nothing of any importance to her. Of course she had to marry Garth. That was the point of going back home anyway, so that she could be with him. She isn't the one for you, and she never will be… _

He had conjured up a deceiving fabrication, in which he thought Kate and him were meant to be, yet it was bound to come crashing down at some point. But still, when she had announced that she would be marrying Garth, it had hurt him deeply. That's when he truly realized he couldn't stay in Jasper anymore. The memories of the countless hours that he had spent with Kate there were too bittersweet, the pain was too deep.

He remembered in their final minutes together on the train, Kate had looked at him with such… _sincerity. _And just as he was ready to open up his heart to her, she had left him to announce her marriage to Garth. Humphrey liked to imagine that things could've gone so much differently if she had let him explain his complicated love for her. But she hadn't, and now he was on a train headed far away from Jasper Park, and far away from Kate.

Humphrey was no longer a fun loving omega, nor did he have any desire to be one again. His own mild, benevolent behavior had been the cause of his ultimate downfall, and was what had left him week and vulnerable to hurt in the end.

And to expunge the last of that vulgar pain he had suffered, he had to get as far away from Kate as possible. But little did he know she was headed straight for him.  
>_<p>

Kate clashed through the thick, coarse brush that occupied the bulk of Jasper's interior; running faster than her tolerance would normally allow. But, if she missed this next train, Humphreys trail could go cold forever. And she didn't want to think about the aftermath if she _failed _in her huntto find him. What sort of ridicule would she face back home if she went out to find her omega and came home with nothing?

The wedding had probably already been cancelled, and her spotless reputation would now be forever tarnished by the scandalous act of running off with an omega wolf. If she had to come back home, not only would she have to confront all of the tortuous accusations and prejudiced judgment from her friends and family, but she would probably have to marry Garth anyway.

She cleared the tree line and dashed out into a field with a clear view of the tracks. But to her dismay, the train was already speeding through Jasper, emitting a tall stygian plume of smoke that rose 20 feet into the air before dissipating into the pale blue sky overhead.

She knew just by judging the distance she probably wouldn't be able to get to the train in time, but she had to try.

_For Humphrey. For us... _She thought as she began to run even faster at the train, pushing herself to go as swiftly as her legs would possibly carry her.

Then she saw it, the open doors at the end of the locomotive.

The very last car on the train had both of its colossal wooden doors ajar. It was the perfect place to board. Now with her newfound motivation at the sight of the open car, she managed to run even _faster still. _She was seemingly pushing beyond her limits, andthere was a growing pain spreading through her body like a sickness, but she ignored it.

The train kept moving. Kate kept sprinting.

She continued to edge the train, inching closer and closer to the car, but she was fading fast into sweltering exhaustion. She was upon the final car now. It seemed impossible to make the jump on to the train from the ground, but yet she took a _leap _of faith, literally. All of her desperation and determination drove her to her down to her hind legs just before she reached the car, and she uncoiled like a spring, jumping further than she ever had in her entire life.

She closed her eyes as she gracefully cut through the air like a blade, expecting to be run over by the massive track-bound leviathan hurtling itself through Jasper, but yet she found hard surface as she collided with the floor. She opened her eyes and realized she had made the jump, and was safely inside the train. She smiled to herself and thought,

_Here I come Humphrey, just wait for me._

But suddenly, Kate felt a sharp stabbing feeling. She cried out in pain.  
>_<p>

Winston padded down to the stream that formed the now very controversial boundary between the western and eastern packs underneath a scorching sun that cast a blinding light across the skies. He had told Tony that he would meet him here in the morning to discuss the details of the wedding.

But, Winston was extremely nervous for what would otherwise have been a normal engagement, because instead of going over the wedding plans with Tony, he would have to inform Garth's tyrant father that his daughter was instead going to withdraw from her nuptials to run off with an omega.

_This couldn't end well._

Tony was already there, skulking in his usual athirst fashion. As Winston approached, he dropped his glare and replaced it with a deceitful smile. It was a threatening smile that read, 'you had better not ruin this day', and Winston was planning on doing exactly that.

"Tony!" Winston exclaimed, trying to downplay his own aggravated nerves. "What a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is." Tony said icily. "Now is Kate ready for the wedding?"

"Well, about that Tony…"

"What? What could possibly be wrong Winston?"

"Well Tony, I need you to understand that Kate's been under a lot of stress lately, and she's had a lot to deal with and-"

"What's going on?" Tony shouted more angrily now, raising his voice so it could be heard from across the valley.

"Tony… Kate has run off to go find an omega. I guess… she feels very… _strongly_ for him. We have to call of the wedding Tony."

"Winston!" Chuckled the other wolf, "This really isn't funny. So, if we could just get back to the wedding now-"

"It's not a joke Tony! It's over, the wedding is _off_!" Winston said insolently.

"Oh really?" Tony asked challengingly. "How could Kate possibly be in _love _with an omega Winston? That's not pack law and you know it!"

"It's her decision to make!" Snapped Winston. "This omega, he saved her life and helped her get home. She truly loves him, unlike Garth and I hope you respect that. Times are changing, and the law of the pack might need to change as well."

"Quiet Winston! Have you gone mad? Alphas and omegas _can_ and _will_ not be together, _ever_. I am not going to allow Kate to abandon my son for some omega filth." Tony ranted as he began to walk back further into his side of the forest. Tony stopped, yet didn't look back as he said,

"If she returns with him, we'll _kill_ them both. I'll never see the day when alphas and omegas mix. I'm not about to allow them to be together, and that's final. I'll even start a war if it means preserving our traditions." And with that, he dissolved back into the forest like some malevolent apparition.

Winston looked at the ground, hating Tony for threatening Kate, but yet he knew that Tony had good reason to hate the idea of alphas and omegas becoming mates. It wasn't tradition, it had never been socially acceptable, and it was against everything they had ever been taught to believe.

_Oh Kate…_ Winston thought drearily, _Please don't come back home. _  
>_<p>

Kate cried out again as another charge of agonizing pain shot up from her front leg. She must have injured herself on the jump to the train cab, she decided. Kate winced as the pain began to coarse throughout her entire body. For the next few hours, she endured an onslaught of agony that assaulted her every nerve. Eventually the pain died down, but she was still unable to stand without her leg protesting with another round of tear-wrenching attacks. She knew that for the time being, her leg was worthless.

She was now about as useful as dirt, and she could only assume that this would ultimately be detrimental in her plans to bring Humphrey back home. But, she knew it in her heart that she could still find him, even if she had to limp her way to the ends of the earth.

A few hours later, the train came to a lurching halt just outside of a small town. Kate staggered over to the opening of the car, and poked her head out into the brisk arctic air. She sniffed, and picked up a scent that made her heart run laps inside her chest.

_Humphrey had been here, and he couldn't be far. _She thought excitedly. Hope was now ebbing through her, giving her a new determination and driving her to forge ahead, even with her inoperative leg.

She vaulted off the train, yet as she landed her leg gave way and she crumpled right onto the hard rocky ground. She got up and began limping towards the small twinkling lights of the town ahead. Humphreys scent was thick in the air, creating a trail that she could follow all the way to him…  
>_<p>

After Humphrey had departed the train, he drifted towards the tantalizing scent of food, which led him to a nearby town. Ironically enough, he discovered that the name of the town was Katelyn, Canada. He assumed that this had to be simply a bad omen, and that it was probably the absolute worst place on Earth he could've gone to. But in fact it had good dining, and that meant good trash.

It was getting late now, and he knew that he needed to find a place to sleep. He hurried to build a half assed den in the outskirts of the forest surrounding the town, and settled in for the night. Of course, _she _had to populate all of his thoughts before he could get any good sleep.

He thought of Kate resting happily in her new den, with her new mate Garth. Of course he was envious, as she got to enjoy a perfect life at home. He was sure that her and Garth would just have a _splendid _time together. Garth was the definition of perfect, as was Kate. And he was just… _Humphrey._

But even as he pictured Kate and Garth living happily together, he had a gut feeling that was telling him that something was _very wrong _back home. He wished he could go back, see all of his friends, and make sure that everything was alright. But going back would mean tearing open the scars he was so meticulously trying to mend.

_He entered a restless slumber, longing for home, and hating Kate even more now for exiling him from his kin, and leading him to believe in a fantasy that could have never been…_

Day came faster than he had expected, and Humphrey woke that morning still tired. The empty feeling still clung to his soul like a shadow that he couldn't escape. He slowly made his way into town, with a lackluster slump in his stride. His accumulating loneliness was beginning to show on his increasingly bleak expression.

He made his rounds of the trash cans, fetching a few morsels for breakfast. He could tell that something was off-kilter about the atmosphere that morning. He knew that somehow his life was going to change radically by the end of that fateful day, and if only he could've known at the time how right he was.

He was digging through one of the multitude of trash bins in an alley when he picked up a scent in the gentle breeze. But it wasn't just any scent, it was a _wolf. _And in fact, he could recognize the owner of that scent anywhere. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face the pale golden wolf now in front of him.

Humphrey's heart soared at first, and then plummeted in his chest. Kate was now directly in front of him, and she was glaring at him as if he was a caribou and she was the hunter. She was also doing something else that he had never seen from her. She was _growling_. His trepidation barred him from coming up with any meaningful words, so all he sputtered out was a sheepish "Uh-oh."

Kate charged at him, forcing herself to run at a breakneck pace despite the burden it was putting on her leg. She was only feet away from Humphrey now, the shock only beginning to register on his face, but yet she didn't slow down. Kate slammed into him at full speed, knocking him to the ground. She stood over her prey, snarling.

"YOU JUST LEFT!" She roared, still towering above Humphrey. "You just thought you would run off on your own without telling me! You could've been killed out here!"

Humphrey was speechless, as he was in awe that Kate had gone all this way just to find him, all because she was… _worried_?

"How did you find-"

"How did I find you?! Marcel and Patty told me all about your little 'plan', so I got on the next train out of Jasper and followed your scent. But that's not important right now. Why did you leave?" Kate shouted; the anger and pent up emotion still seeping from her like a kettle boiling over. But after her initial animosity had dissipated, she murmured, "I thought that I was never going to see you again."

Kate shed a single tear, but quickly shook it away before a soul could see it.

"Why did _I _leave?! Are you serious Kate? I think we both know the answer to that by now!" Humphrey shot back, as his initial shock had now turned into rage.

"Because of the wedding…" Kate said. The anger that had extinguished within her an instant ago had now been quickly replaced by guilt.

_"_Exactly… and I left to make things a lot easier for the both of us. You shouldn't have come all the way out here to find me. You wasted your time."

"No- no you're wrong Humphrey. I had to come for you. I came out to find you because I had to make things right between us and bring you back home. I came because I _care about you._"

"It doesn't matter…" Humphrey muttered. "If you had cared about me we wouldn't be here right now…"

"I'm sorry, and I was foolish for not realizing how much I really _did_ care. Now _please… _come home with me Humphrey."

"No Kate… _I'm sorry. _Now go home, I'm sure you have a wedding to catch." He said morosely as he turned and began to walk away.

Kate tried to pursue him, but her leg wouldn't allow it. Her sprinting had taken what little effectiveness her leg had at the time. She felt helpless, as she had come so close to fixing everything, but now she had been hindered by something as simple as an injury.

"Humphrey, please don't go!" She cried out to him. Humphrey stopped dead in his tracks. He had never heard her cry out with such indignity or desperateness. He turned and saw the once proud, dignified alpha now grimacing in pain. Now that he looked closer, he could tell she wasn't her usual self.

She looked taxed, both emotionally and physically, and her once beautiful flowing hair was now marred with dirt and knotted beyond belief. She seemed tired, and her face was wrought of pain. It looked like she was having troubles with one of her front legs, and every time she moved on it he could see her laboring over trying to hide her misery from him.

He sighed, and ran back to her. He still hated her in a way for what she had done; coming back into his life and making him relive all of those memories with her, but for now she needed him, and he wasn't _about _to abandon her.

"Kate I'm sorry, I had no idea you were in this bad of shape." He said, slowly helping her to her feet. "I have a camp outside of town. I can give you a place to stay until your leg heals up, and then you can go back and marry-"

"Humphrey," Kate blurted, cutting Humphrey off. "I'm not marrying Garth, I called off the wedding."

"What?"

"Well, I- I couldn't marry him so I ran away… Humphrey, the true reason that I came to find you was because I needed to tell you something…"

"What did you need to tell me?"

By now, both of their hearts were beating rapidly, fueled by the adrenaline-provoking moment that was about to ensue. Kate smiled at him, and he smiled back skeptically, still not absolutely sure of what she was up to.

Kate motioned for Humphrey to come close to her, and she hesitantly put her lips up to Humphrey's ear and said,

"I came to tell you… _I- I love you…_" And with that, she pulled back, held her breath, and kissed him.

It was a soft, affectionate kiss, and Kate instantly found herself lost in an overabundance of bliss, and now nothing was about to tear her apart from who she considered to be her _true_ mate. It was never Garth, and she knew it. Now as they stood, sharing that tender embrace, she knew for sure that he was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life.

In that single moment, the tension between them was shattered to pieces. No more lies, no more secrets. Kate had just expressed her true feelings, and there was no going back now. Kate didn't even know what she was doing anymore, as she had just lost control of herself to her unwavering affection for Humphrey. But yet, she still had no idea on how Humphrey would react to her gesture.

She closed her eyes and waited. Waited for him to pull back, waited for him to yell at her, but he didn't. He returned the kiss with as much burning passion as she did, and they stayed like that, locked in each other's lips for what seemed like an eternity. Everything stopped and time stood still as they expressed their forbidden desires for one another, and at last, everything was at peace.

They finally broke apart, each gasping for breath. Humphrey spoke softly now, in his usual calming, placatory tone.

"Kate…" He pulled away and gave her a look of sheer anguish. "You're an alpha, I'm not. You need to go home and marry Garth."

"What? No Humphrey, I already called off the wedding! I'll accept the consequences if I'm caught, but until that day comes; I want to be with you, not Garth."

"What if they come for us? The eastern pack would kill you for running off like this."

"I know… but I'd rather die with you than live a fake life. This is how I feel, and I want to be able to express my love. But… if you don't love me, I promise I will leave you here alone. I'll go home and marry Garth."

Humphrey came in close to Kate again, gave her another kiss, and muzzled her neck, much to Kate's own bemused surprise.

"Of course I love you Kate. I love you so much." He said. Kate laughed, and smiled, something she only seemed prone to doing when she was around Humphrey.

"Well," She said grinning, "I was hoping that you would say that."

After that tender embrace, they began the long, arduous trip out of town.

They both slowly made their way through the alleys of the small town, being sure that no one saw them. Both wolves were still weary of humans after their previous confrontations with them, and if they were caught, there would be no chance that Kate could get away in time.

After an hour or so of tedious limping, Kate and Humphrey finally made it to the rugged den. It was a small, squalid place, but it would make do for the time being. Humphrey got Kate situated under the shelter he had built, and then settled in as well, after making sure Kate's leg wasn't bothering her.

Soon, rain began to plunge from the skies, drenching everything around them and pulverizing the ground beyond recognition into a sloppy, thick mud. Kate leaned up against Humphrey, and watched the rain as it fell upon the Earth.

They lay watching in silence, as the melodic pitter-patter of the downpour entranced them both. Nothing could describe the pure serenity of the moment, as the sweet aroma of ozone, the tantalizing chorus of the skies, and the newfound love both wolves now shared translated into candidly; the perfect moment.

As the night aged, and the din of the rain ceased, the murky sky cleared. Clouds parted like curtains, revealing a near-full silvery moon. As both wolves now lay motionless, Humphrey said,

"We have to back to Jasper don't we? Because we sure can't live like this out here."

Kate sighed, detesting the thought of going back, but she knew he was right. They couldn't live off of trash cans their entire lives.

"Yes… but I promise everything will be okay. The packs will hopefully still unite without my stupid arranged marriage, and everything will go back to normal. They probably won't even know about us anyway." She replied doubtfully.

"Hopefully." Humphrey agreed as he kissed Kate one last time goodnight.

Kate dozed off, and even now the smile was still apparent on her face. She and Humphrey were both finally lifted from their tiresome burdens, now that they would no longer have to stress over hiding their feelings from each other. Sleep welcomed them both in as a friendly neighbor would weary travelers, and they finally were able to doze peacefully.

_But back home, everything was far from normal. The chaos was just beginning…_

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><p><strong>So there you have it! Well, I'm (kinda) hard at work on chapter 3, and an update time for this story should already be up on my profile under the 'story info' section.<strong>

**Again, you can always check my profile for continuous updates on my stories, such as update times. Thanks again for all the support everyone, and if you liked this chapter, or hated it, please leave a review.  
>Thank you all,<strong>

**-wolfgang**


	3. Homecoming

**Hey everyone, well it's a day late, but here's the third chapter. I was kinda rushing to finish this one, because I hardly did any work on it during the week, but I finally got it all finished here ya go and I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful feedback on the last chapter, and I hope you like this next chapter. So, if you like it, hate it, or if you'd prefer to suggest anything, please leave me a quick review. Thanks!**

**-wolfgangwalker12**

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><p><strong>-A Beautiful Sickness-<strong>

**Chapter 3: Homecoming**

Kate woke from her amicable dream feeling happier than usual for some reason, as she opened her eyes to the allaying stagnancy of the forest around her. She then looked up and saw the omega sleeping torpidly next to her, and whom she had her body comfortably propped up against. As soon as she looked into his face, all of the memories abated into her mind once again; making her feel dazed. She remembered the love that they had both confessed to each other the night prior, and their kiss. Oh yes, she remembered it all too clearly, and she _never _wanted to forget it.

Her fantasies were finally coming true. She had found someone that she loved, and that wolf happened to love her back. It didn't matter that he was an omega; they would make it work, no matter what sort of ridicule they would face when they returned home. Kate thought that she would regret falling in love with Humphrey eventually, but now she realized that she was more content with her choice than she could've possibly imagined.

But even as happy as they were at the moment, Kate's stomach lurched when she thought of their return. Would her and Humphrey have to keep their relationship a secret from the world? Would they have to steal away from society just to be alone with each other? If that's what it would take for them to be safe, then Kate was fine with it. But as long as no one else knew about her love for Humphrey back in Jasper, they would manage.

_However, the exact opposite of Kate's hopes had transpired. The word that Kate had run off with an omega had spread rapidly, and both the eastern and western packs were teeming with gossip about the two. Some of the wolves defended Kate's decision, attesting that she should be able to love whomever she chose. But others found the idea of Kate and an omega being together absolutely repulsive, and they thought that Kate should be punished for her 'reckless' decision. A sort of relentless hatred for both Kate and Humphrey was now being bred._

_The two packs were divided now more than ever, and tensions were rising every day. Jasper was on the brink of a lethal civil war, and Kate and Humphrey were unknowingly right in the middle of it…_

Meanwhile, as Kate was thinking about their future lives in Jasper, Humphrey began to emerge from his abysmal slumber.

"Good morning beautiful." Humphrey yawned with a sincere smile fixed upon his face. Kate looked over and blushed, as this was the first time in her life that another guy had actually told her that she was beautiful. Back home, no one had ever bothered to compliment her on her looks, so it came as a complete surprise to her hearing it, especially from Humphrey.

Now, she had finally been told and she was completely stunned, not knowing how to respond to the sincere confession.

"Good- good morning… _handsome._" She replied extemporaneously.

Humphrey just laughed, finding Kate's flustered demeanor quite amusing.

"Alright so, are we heading back today?" Kate asked quickly, trying to shift the focus off her faux pas.

"No, of course not Kate." Humphrey replied with a frown. "Your leg…"

"My leg is fine; I just needed a good night's rest, that's all." She said intrepidly. She began to stand up, but another torturing bout of voltaic pains flooded her leg. She yelped out from the excruciating pain, and Humphrey bolted into action. He was at Kate's side instantly. She dug her claws into the ground as her tender leg continued to protest the exertion forced upon it. Humphrey slowly helped her to lie back down, and stood helplessly over her as she fell victim to tribulation. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her tight, but the best thing he could do was watch and wait as she battled the fleeting pain.

The worst of it only lasted a few minutes and soon enough the anxiety of the situation faded. Kate's breathing returned to a normal, rhythmic flow.

"Kate are you alright?" Humphrey asked, worry clouding his expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really." She said as she flashed him a reassuring smile. "It didn't hurt _that _much."

"You're such a bad liar." He said smiling.

"Alright so maybe it hurt _a lot_, but… we can't live out here waiting for me to get better! How are we even going to get food?"

"Well for now, I can just scavenge through the garbage back in town. We'll just have to make do with that for a while."

"No- no you're not going back into town again." Kate said assertively.

"Kate… I have to, or we'll starve."

"If you're caught down there, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you!"

"Well, it's worth the risk. I'd rather die trying to help you stay alive rather than starve to death. We need to-"

"No Humphrey!" Kate interjected. Once again, she found herself wanting to cry, but she held back the tears. "I just found you again, and we're finally together now... I'm not going to lose you again. Do you know how much I worried while I was trying to find you? I felt terrible, not knowing if you were alive or not! Now that I know, I don't want to have to be afraid for you anymore."

Humphrey could sense her fear and her weariness; as he too was afraid of losing her, but how else would they make it home? He could either leave into town against Kate's wishes, which would break her heart, or find food elsewhere.

"Alright." He said, smiling down at his mate, "I won't go back. But how am I going to hunt? I'm not an alpha…" He trailed off; as he now realized that the difference between him and Kate was bigger and more deleterious than he had previously assumed. She could hunt, and more importantly she could get the food that he couldn't. What survival skills did he have out here?

_Absolutely none._ He thought dismally.

He didn't understand what Kate saw in him, but she certainly didn't admire him for his ability to hunt prey.

"I'll teach you how to hunt, and you'll be able to get us food from the forest." Kate said, even though she seemed somewhat doubtful of that plan.

"Are you serious? How are you going to teach me to hunt?"

Kate sighed, realizing that the idea _did_ seem a little absurd.

"I guess I'll just explain it to you. I know you can do it Humphrey. _I believe in you_."

So, she proceeded to explain to him the basics of hunting for prey, and he absorbed all of the information that he could, but of course he had no idea what the real experience would have in store for him.

After a long, strenuous day of learning up, it came time for Humphrey to finally go out on his own. He was nervous, as he knew good and well that he was responsible for keeping not only himself, but Kate alive. He was already beginning to feel the deprivation as hunger began to expropriate his energy, and he imagined that Kate was feeling it too.

He went out twice into the dense evergreen forest, and returned both times with nothing except apologies and an increased feeling of worthlessness. Kate tried to comfort him, but their situation was becoming more and more somber by the minute. It had been a day and a half since either one of them had eaten. Complete misery had officially set in over the two.

That night, Humphrey and Kate lied down like they had on the first night, with Kate leaning peacefully up against Humphrey's side. In the darkness, the only sounds that were heard were those coming from the growling stomachs of the two wolves.

"Kate, we're going to die. I'm not a hunter, and I haven't even come close to catching anything."

"Be patient," Kate replied calmly. "Tomorrow, you'll catch something, I just know it."

Humphrey scoffed, finding her certainty in him crazy.

"And if I don't?"

"No matter what happens, I'll still love you all the same, even if we die out here."

And Humphrey knew then that he had to catch something at all costs, because Kate was depending on him. The last thing he wanted to do was let her down.

And Kate looked extremely taken aback when he dragged in a good sized deer the next day, beaming with pride. Finally, they were able to eat well, satisfying both of their greedy stomachs.

The next few weeks went by in a similar fashion, as Humphrey continued to find success in his hunts. They ate well, and Kate began to show signs of healing. She could finally stand with some help from Humphrey, and soon enough she was beginning to take small, anemic steps. And after a few weeks, Humphrey had practically become an alpha in regard to his hunting abilities.

Life was finally looking promising for both of them, and the painful memories of the past were washing away. Happiness was a luxury that they could finally afford now, and as soon as Kate could walk around without assistance, they both went out to a perfect spot that Humphrey had discovered and they shared a passionate moonlight howl together, their first since the night on the train.

Neither of them wanted this new ideal lifestyle to end, but the demanding call of home grew louder and more urgent every passing day.

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><p>Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the strong sweet aroma of friable autumn leaves dissipated with the inevitable altering of seasons. Winter was looming; strong, silent and ominous, and it promised to release a plethora of snow down upon anything in its path.<p>

Before Humphrey could realize it, Kate was almost back to her full strength. There was no more denying it; the time had come for them to return to Jasper. It was an uncomfortable subject to bring up, as both of them were afraid of what awaited them. So, they had simply avoided bringing it up.

Going back home would almost certainly fabricate a whole new slew of problems for their relationship, so was it really worth it to even go back at this point? Humphrey assumed that when they migrated back to Jasper Park, Kate would have to marry Garth regardless of who she _truly_ loved. Kate on the other hand feared something much more sinister; the threat of capture, torture. The threat of _death_.

_Could they really punish us for loving each other? _Kate pondered. _No, of course not! That would be crazy. Just because I love Humphrey doesn't mean that I'm some sort of criminal. Right?_

Well the weeks kept slipping by, and the days grew colder and bitter. Still, nothing had been said of Jasper. But one day, Kate was out scouting the surrounding forest when Humphrey came up to her. He gave her a sort of sad smile, one that she wouldn't truly understand until much later on.

"Kate…" He said softly. "It's time to go home."

Kate was astonished. She had been sure that he had wanted to live with her out here forever, and here he was suggesting that they escape the perfect Eden that they had built.

"No- no we can't leave yet!" Kate rebuked to her own surprise. "My leg-"

"Your leg is fine Kate. We can't keep putting this off forever. Your family is back there, or have you forgotten about them?"

And Kate then realized she sort of _had _forgotten about her family. She had been having such a great time with Humphrey that she had blocked everything else from her mind.

"Of course not! I just… don't want you to get hurt. As soon as we get back they are going to try and tear us apart."

Humphrey walked up to Kate, and kissed her. The sudden display of affection caught her off guard, but she welcomed it nonetheless. After he finally pulled away, leaving Kate breathless, he said

"Even when we get back, we'll still be together. And if they try to get in the way of that, then we'll just run away again. We can come back here to live and we can be together without any interference. Alright?"

"Okay…" Kate said, knowing that Humphrey was ultimately justified in suggesting their return.

"Good, now let's go home."

So, they went back into the small town, and hopped on the next train headed to Jasper.

Again, this train ride was not highly anticipated by either of the mournful wolves, and all they could do to pass the time was by simply staring out upon the open, infinite sky. The train sped through the country, dragging Humphrey and Kate once again back home.

The sun was just beginning to dip below the mulberry skyline when the train pierced its way into Jasper.

Kate and Humphrey jumped off and landed silently upon permafrost, not wanting to be potentially heard by the others yet.

"Humphrey," Kate said urgently, "If this is the last time that we have a chance to-"

"Shhh, everything is going to be fine Kate. This isn't the end."

"But if it is… just know that I love you Humphrey, and I always will."

"I- I love you too Kate." Humphrey said tenderly, emotion overcoming him.

Kate turned and kissed him one final time. "Now come on, let's go."

And with that, they both stepped forward, striding into the territory side by side.

Wolves began to come into view, and as the two lovers passed by, all eyes shifted upon them. Not a word was said as they walked into the middle of the clearing, viewable to everyone now. Kate looked around, panic taking ahold of her.

"Humphrey- we shouldn't have done this. We shouldn't be here." Kate urged him.

"It's too late now to run. Just remember I'm right here with you." Humphrey said as he placed his paw on hers.

Immediately, Kate began to relax.

_No matter what, _she told herself, _you'll always have Humphrey, and no one is going to get in your way. No matter what, you're not going down without a fight. _

_No matter what._

The other wolves looked around at each other, and then back at the two, eyes gleaming with malevolent delight.

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><p><strong>Well there you have it! Hope you all like how the story is going so far, and as always please leave a review. The last chapters reviews were so motivating and I can't thank you all enough for that. <strong>

**So, chapter upload dates will be posted on my profile, as well as some other info on what I plan on doing with this story in the coming weeks.**

**Thanks again and be sure to review or PM me!**

**-wolfgang **


	4. The Break Up

**Well, after a few weeks, I finally got around to finishing chapter 4! Do you like the story so far? I hope you all like it, and if you do please leave a quick review! You don't know how much it means to me to hear feedback on the story! **

**Well, I hope you like this overdue chapter and I'll make sure chapter 5 gets written quicker. Thanks again everyone!**

**-wolfgangwalker12**

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><p><strong>-A Beautiful Sadness-<strong>

"It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission."

― Grace Hopper

**Chapter 4: The Break Up**

The wolves began to advance upon Kate and Humphrey, trapping them inside a halo of claws and teeth.

Kates eyes widened in shock. Her worst fears were now being realized.

_They know about me and Humphrey! _She screamed in her mind. _They know, and now they're going to kill us!_

She watched in terror as her friends, her comrades, her family kept inching ever closer to them. Their eyes showed no remorse, no sympathy for her at all. They stared straight through her, as if she was a ghost.

"Hey, come on guys, what's the big deal?" Humphrey asked, trying to talk his way out of the potentially spiteful confrontation, but not a single wolf responded to his plea. Humphrey gulped, "Please… just take me. Don't hurt Kate, she didn't know what she was getting into-"

"Yes I did!" Kate snapped. "If you want Humphrey, you're going to have to take me too!"

And with that, she took a defensive step in front of Humphrey and barred her teeth, letting loose a lethal snarl, daring any and all to oppose her. Humphrey was her love, her life, and she wasn't going to let them take him away from her without a fight.

At that moment a single wolf materialized from the throng, bearing a disconcerted air about him that rendered the old grey wolf nearly unrecognizable as the once eminent leader of the western pack.

"Dad?" Kate fumbled, as the memories of her father slowly came back to her. It had been so long since she had seen him last, and she realized now that she had almost forgotten what her own dad looked like.

"Hey there Kate," Winston said with his trademark smile, "How's my baby girl?"

Kate leapt at her father and embraced him tightly.

"I'm fine dad. How have things been here?" Kate asked; now looking around apprehensively at the wolves that were arduously staring back at her and Humphrey with dark, leaden faces. Some looked actually quite happy to see them, and the rest were whispering to each other, no doubt gossiping about the severely controversial couple before them.

"Things have been better…" Winston said gravely. "And don't mind the others," He said, mentioning to the crowd surrounding them. "We've all just been on edge the past few weeks. But let's talk in the den. It's not safe for you two to be around out here; not with the eastern pack out looking for you two."

So, they went quickly and quietly to the den, before any fuss could be made over their unexpected arrival.

Warm welcomes and smiles greeted Kate as she entered the den, finding her mother and sister eager to see her again. After the warm family reunion had died down, Winston carefully explained the predicament they were in with the eastern pack to Kate and Humphrey.

"After word got out that an alpha and an omega had fallen in love, things went downhill pretty fast. The eastern pack is completely against it, and Tony wants you two captured. He was even talking about sending a scouting party out to find you..."

"Why does he care so much? Why is it such a big deal that me and Humphrey are together?" Kate asked defensively.

"It's been pack law for generations now that an alpha and an omega are strictly not allowed to be together. Now that two wolves have gone against pack law, Tony thinks it's a threat to our way of life. Kate… he still wants you to marry Garth. He's threatening to start a war if you don't give in."

"I'm not marrying him, and that's final." Kate said abruptly, "You know I can't…"

"I- I know," Winston said, looking over at Humphrey. He could tell that Kate's feelings for Humphrey ran deep, and he knew that she was dead set against leaving Humphrey for another wolf.

"Humphrey…" Kate said as she turned to him. "I think we should go into the eastern territory and talk to Tony and the rest of his pack."

"Kate, you can't go over there. I won't allow it." Winston immediately protested, "If you try to stand up to the eastern pack, you'll only get hurt."

"I agree with Kate." Humphrey said solemnly, "This isn't going to stop until we make things right with the eastern pack."

He detested the idea of going into the enemy's territory. But, he knew it was the only thing they could do now to prevent an all-out war from shredding the packs to pieces.

Kate smiled, happy knowing that her mate was on her side.

"Alright, we'll go in the morning." Kate said, ignoring the protests from her family.

At first, trying to convince her family that it was absolutely necessary for her to go to the eastern pack proved to be ineffective at best, but she was eventually able to get her father's approval.

"Fine…" Winston said begrudgingly, "But don't expect a warm welcome when you get there."

So that night, Humphrey and Kate settled down in the den, waiting for the telltale sign of the sun's coils slinking in upon the battered den floor that would mark the beginning of a new day. Then they would depart for the eastern territory.

Just as the two were beginning to drift off to sleep, Winston came in.

"Hey, before you go to sleep, could I talk to you in private, Humphrey?" He said pertinently.

"Um sure…" Humphrey said. A pang of adrenaline shot through him like a lightning bolt.

_What could he want to tell me in private? Does he not approve of me being with Kate? _Humphrey pondered wearily. He knew that Winston probably blamed him for starting this whole ordeal, and now he was probably going to give him some admonishing talk about how he didn't deserve his daughter.

Humphrey stood up and began to walk out of the den with Kate's father. He looked back at Kate and noticed she was giving him a nervous look. She saw him look over at her and quickly changed her expression, flashing him a reassuring smile, attempting to mask her concern for him.

Winston walked all the way down to the stream, with Humphrey tailing closely. He motioned for Humphrey to sit next to him as they both stared out upon the glistening folds of the silvery, snaking body of water.

"Humphrey, Kate is-"

"Look, I'm so sorry about running off with your daughter." Humphrey instantaneously interposed. "Honestly, I didn't mean for her to come after me when I left and I know you don't think I'm the one for her but I promise I'll prove myself and-"

"Humphrey, calm down." Winston said, interrupting Humphrey right back. "I certainly don't hate you; in fact, I think you're a lot better mate for my daughter than Garth. She ran away from home because she truly loved _you_, not Garth. You should have seen her... She was scared for you, and I could tell that she couldn't bear to lose you."

"Wait… so you think I'm a better mate for Kate than an alpha?"

Winston chuckled.

"You know, you've been Kate's friend since you were both pups. She's always liked you, and I could tell early on that you would have feelings for her. I know you Humphrey, and I know you're a good wolf, and would never deliberately hurt Kate in any way, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Humphrey gulped. He knew that Winston had something serious on his mind, but what could it be?

"Do you love Kate?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you love Kate?"

"More than anything."

"And would you do anything for her?"

"Absolutely." Humphrey said doubtlessly. "Why?"

"Good…" Winston said with a smile. "Look, Kate means the world to me, and if anything bad were to happen to her, I don't know what I would do. Humphrey, I need you to promise me something. I need you to promise that you'll protect my little girl at _all costs. _No matter what you have to do, please don't let them hurt Kate. Do you understand?"

"Yes... I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe_, I promise_." Humphrey said.

"Thank you. I knew I could count on you Humphrey." Winston said, "You may be an omega, but you're better than any alpha I've ever known."

"Th- thank you…" Humphrey said, shocked at the old wolf's extremely approving comparison of him to an alpha wolf.

"Now go on, you need to be with Kate tonight. Who knows what will happen tomorrow."

Humphrey dismissed himself, and returned to the den to find an inert Kate. He smiled to himself and lied down beside his love. He put his arm protectively around her as he began to comprehend the promise he had just made to her father.

Kate stirred, and attempted to stifle a yawn.

"Hey, did everything go okay?" She said sleepily.

"Yeah, it went fine. He wasn't mad or anything."

"What did he want to talk to you about?"

"It was… nothing. Now go back to sleep, we have an early day tomorrow."

"Alright…" Kate said, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get Humphrey to divulge the details of his conversation with her father. "Goodnight Humphrey, I love you."

"I love you too Kate."

Humphrey held Kate tight that night. He hoped that Tony would call off the war, but deep down he knew that there was no way that Tony would allow them to be together at the end of the day. Kate had to marry Garth; there was simply no other outcome.

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was just bad luck, but in Humphrey's eyes there was no escape from losing the only girl he had ever truly loved. Kate was dead set against marrying Garth, but then again she would do anything to save her pack from the carnage of war. She would be forced to marry Garth, and that would be that.

_She'll move on… _

Through the night, Humphrey lay wide awake; staring up at the dull, ashen stone canopy above. He tried to calm the tempest raging in his mind, but he was too nervous to sleep. He knew that this would almost assuredly be his last night on Earth with Kate, the love of his life. And all of the fear, sadness, and exasperation he felt coupled with the knowledge that he would probably lose Kate to Garth kept him even further from the safe, desirable asylum of sleep.

The sun rose too soon in Humphrey's opinion, and sure enough it was time to begin a new day. Humphrey still lay on the cold cragged ground, praying that Kate wouldn't stir from her slumber. He wished time could stop, and he could hold Kate in his arms for eternity, but sadly time went on anyway, and Kate began to stir.

"Good morning Humphrey." She half said, half yawned.

"Good morning Kate…" Humphrey said quietly. There was a sadness that Kate could sense in Humphrey's voice, and she knew that he was just as afraid as she was of what might happen to them. So, instead of getting up immediately, Kate stayed wrapped in Humphrey's arms. And they stayed like that until Winston finally came in said,

"Alright wake up you two, it's time to-" He paused as he saw the dismal, and possibly the final embrace of the two wolves in front of him. "Sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's fine dad." Kate said, regretfully freeing herself from Humphrey's grasp and sitting up. "We'll be going soon."

They got ready, said their goodbyes, and began the short walk across the valley to the eastern territory. After walking for a bit on the spongy, yielding ground, they approached the river that marked the boundary line and entrance into the other half of the valley. Kate halted close to the water's edge, and Humphrey looked back.

"Kate… What's wrong Kate?"

Out of nowhere, Kate lunged at him and tackled him to the ground. Once she had him pinned, she grinned, leaned in, and kissed him; ignoring the fact that someone could be potentially watching. The fiery, affectionate kiss lasted for what seemed like hours to Humphrey, and when Kate finally pulled herself off him, they were both panting heavily.

"I'm sorry, I just had too. If this is the last-" Kate tried to say, but was interrupted by another playful kiss from Humphrey. It was short, but just as passionate as the preceding one.

"I know Kate, but everything will be ok. I promise." Humphrey said, trying to reassure Kate that they wouldn't be torn to shreds by the other pack.

They crossed the river and strayed cautiously into the eastern territory.

As they delved further into the interior of the territory, wolves began to emerge from the trees. They glared, howled, and shouted at the two, but the alpha and the omega were unfazed by the taunts.

They came into a clearing and found a huge pack of wolves waiting for them. They stared with cold, hateful eyes as Humphrey and Kate drew closer. Then, a wolf parted from the crowd. He wore a menacing grin, accompanied by a pair of judgmental, calculating eyes.

"Well, well I was wondering when I was going to see you too!" Tony shouted at them. The other wolves began to howl in delight. "The alpha and the omega who thought they could just run away and fall in love… but we'll see if you still want to be together after _we're _finished with you." He snapped at them.

Kate snarled back at him and Humphrey put his paw on hers, attempting to calm her.

"What do you have against us being together?" Humphrey yelled. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Well that's where you're wrong. See, my son Garth was going to marry your _dog_, and she ran away from home, _twice._ She _will_ marry him, and then the packs will finally be united."

"No thanks, I already have a mate." Kate said angrily. "And honestly he's better than Garth could ever be. I love Humphrey, and you can't change that!"

"It doesn't matter who you _love, _it's about what's best for the pack…" Tony said as his eyes flared with hatred. "Get them, get them both!" He barked to his pack.

The wolves charged towards Humphrey and Kate. Soon enough, they were being flanked on all sides by the eastern pack. Coming here had been the worst decision that both Kate and Humphrey had ever made, and now they were about to pay dearly for it.

As the first wolf jumped at Humphrey, the omega fiercely embedded his razorblade claws deep into the wolf's side, and shoved him away, sending him to the ground. It turned out that his alpha training had helped Humphrey more than he had previously thought. The other wolves looked around at each other nervously. They had expected Humphrey to be an easy target, but he had just proven himself a deadly advisory. More wolves began to jump at Humphrey now, this time using more caution. Humphrey defended himself well, but there were just too many of them. He was quickly being overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite amount of eastern pack wolves.

Kate on the other hand was experiencing the same dilemma. The eastern wolves soon overpowered her, pinning her to the ground. They eventually did the same with Humphrey, sending him to the ground in a flurry of claws, teeth, and blood. Humphrey saw no escape. There was no way they could free themselves from the menacing shadow of the eastern pack. But just then Humphrey had an idea. It was a terrible idea, and it would practically ensure that he and Kate would never be able to be together again. But, it was the only way that he could save himself _and_ Kate from Tony's wrath.

"Stop!" He shouted. "Stop, this is just crazy. _I… don't actually love Kate!" _

At this, the wolves quieted down, letting Humphrey speak.

"That's right I don't love her, alright? When I ran away originally, I was trying to get _away_ from Kate! When she went after me, she practically _forced _me to come back with her. I thought I loved her once, but that was a long time ago. Garth can have her, because she doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

Kate sat up, a wave of shock spreading across her face.

"Humphrey… what- what are you saying?"

"Look, I know you thought that we were in love, but there was nothing there Kate. I don't want to be with you forever, and I'm not going to let these wolves kill me because they think I have feelings for you!"

"No Humphrey, stop. You're lying…"

"No, no I'm not! I went back home with you because I thought I loved you at first, but when we got back I realized that you're just not the one for me. It's over Kate. You're an alpha, I'm an omega. We were never meant to be together anyway."

Tears were now welling in Kate's eyes as she made an attempt to look strong, but she just couldn't take it. She broke down completely, bawling her eyes out.

"No. No, you said- you said you… _loved_ me!" She shouted at him before she started crying again.

Tony smiled. This was perfect. The omega had just broken the alphas heart, so who else would she have to turn to other than Garth?

"Well, I'm pleased to hear that. Turns out you're not a complete idiot after all." He said to Humphrey. He now focused his attention to Kate, who was silently sobbing now. "Kate, Garth is a great wolf. I promise you he'll make you happy. Happier than Humphrey could have ever made you. He'll never hurt you, and he'll won't treat you badly. So please, will you reconsider the marriage?" He said with a feigned friendliness in his tone.

Kate sniffed, and stood up.

"Yes… I'll- I'll marry Garth." She said as she looked over and flashed Humphrey a heartbroken yet still rage-filled glare that cut straight through his soul like a dagger.

"Good. We'll start arranging the wedding immediately!" Tony said proudly, prompting another bout of joyous howling from the pack around them.

Humphrey felt terrible. He had just lied to protect Kate from harm, but it was at the cost of Kate's trust, not to mention their relationship. But, he remembered the promise he had made to Winston.

"I must protect Kate at all costs." He whispered to himself.

_At all costs. _

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><p><strong>Alright, I think that I'll leave it here at a cliffhanger. So, did you like it? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought! Thanks so much for being patent, as it's been a while since I updated last. But, I've started on the next chapter, and should be up soon. Check back on my profile for update times for chapter 5 and more.<strong>

**So, thanks again and be sure to review! It really helps, thanks!**

**-wolfgang**


	5. The Howl

**Hey everyone, sorry about the slightly late post. Some things came up, and I just needed a few extra days. But, here it is and I hope you like this chapter! If you like, (or hate) how the story is going so far, be sure to leave a review too. Thank you so much! The feedback on the last chapter was amazing and I got a kick out of a lot of the responses.**

**Thanks again everyone, and here's chapter 5.**

**-wolfgangwalker**

* * *

><p><strong><span>- A Beautiful Sadness-<span>**

**Chapter 5: The Howl**

The next few hours were a sort of opaque blur to Humphrey, who was blinded by the overwhelming sadness and grief he felt from severing his relationship with Kate in a hateful spat.

All that he remembered was that while all of the other wolves in the eastern pack had been celebrating Kate's announcement of her engagement to Garth, Humphrey had snuck off and fled into the woods.

A single tear trickled down his face as he ran, but he blinked it away. Now was not the time to grieve over the loss of his love. He had saved Kate, but now he had to save himself. So, he scampered aimlessly through the trees until the sky turned a pure hue of obsidian and invulnerable day turned into relentless night.

He then laid down, and attempted to sleep. He searched for the warm embrace of Kate in the cold dark night, but found nothing. This was the first time in months that he hadn't slept with Kate, and the ache of loneliness he now felt was excruciating. He groaned, cringing with remorse.

He began to cry silent, mournful tears, knowing that his Kate was gone from his life forever.

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><p><p>

Day broke upon the valley, and an air of peacefulness settled in over Jasper Park. War had been averted, and the day was saved. Except now Kate was going to marry Garth, and there would be no stopping it on Humphrey's part.

Kate hated him now, and all the trust she had invested in him had been torn down in one single swipe. He knew that this time around he wouldn't be able to convince her to opt out of her marriage _again._

Humphrey wandered around the forest until he came into the western territory once again. Instead of running away, he decided that he might as well live in the pack again, where he would at least have some friends; and more importantly he wouldn't feel as lonely as he had when he had first set off on his own.

As he wandered back into the den, he noticed that all of the other wolves were staring at him again. He saw the pity that they failed to conceal in their eyes, and realized that they knew something terrible had happened between him and Kate.

Some of the omega females came to his side in an attempt to comfort him, but he simply ignored them. Kate was his one and only, and he couldn't imagine trying to see any other wolf. As he walked on among the western pack, Winston ran up to him.

"Humphrey! What happened?" Winston cried breathlessly. "Kate was crying all night, she-"

"I don't want to talk about it… Kate's engaged to Garth. It's all over." Humphrey said, as he continued to walk.

Winston stopped dead in his tracks, not knowing what to think of the situation. Kate and Humphrey had been madly in love with one another, and in a single day Kate and Humphrey had broken up. And now Kate was engaged to… _Garth_?

"What?! Humphrey, wait!" Winston said. He ran in front of Humphrey and turned around, forcing the omega to stop dead in his tracks. Humphrey was about to protest but Winston cut him off.

"Humphrey, what did you do to make her so angry?" Winston asked pleadingly. "She won't tell me anything."

"I just-" He sighed, anguish flooding his heart. "I told her that I didn't love her anymore. Can I go now?" Humphrey said irritably, but Winston wasn't finished.

"What do you mean? Why would you do something like that Humphrey?"

"Because I had to save her! They were going to kill us both, and so I ended things between me and Kate. She said she would marry Garth, and I ran off. Like you said, 'save Kate at _all costs_'. Well I did, and the cost was our relationship!" He shouted angrily.

"Humphrey if I had known that you were prepared to end things with Kate if things got bad, I wouldn't have made you promise that…"

"Well, there's no going back now." Humphrey said dismally. He then pushed by Winston, leaving him to ponder the detrimental consequences of his actions. But before he left, Humphrey stopped and turned.

"And one more thing- you can't tell Kate about what I did. She has to marry Garth. It's the only way to stop the war."

"But Humphrey, she has to know! You can't just let her go on thinking that you hate her!"

"Yes I can. Now promise me. Promise you won't tell her anything."

"I… promise." Winston said in defeat. "I can't believe you sacrificed your relationship with Kate to save her. You know, I stand by what I said earlier… about you being better than any alpha I've ever met. Thank you."

And on that note, Humphrey turned again and walked away, hoping to find a little peace and solitude before returning to the den.

As he came back, the sun was just beginning to set, casting an orange hue on everything in the valley. He began to walk towards the den but abruptly stopped as he saw Kate walking by in the distance. He gulped, praying that she wouldn't see him, even though they were both out in the open.

Ineludibly enough, Kate found Humphrey and met his gaze. Her ears perked up, her eyes narrowed, and a wave of shock, and more importantly, anger, registered on her face as she recognized the wolf from across the valley was indeed her now 'ex-mate'. She glared at him for another blood chilling moment, making his spine tingle and his heart race. The fur on the back of Humphrey's neck stood straight up, and he felt like running. But, he was momentarily glued to the ground where he now stood, frozen by apprehension. Kate insolently turned, and sprinted off in the opposite direction. Little did he know, Kate cried a river of brokenhearted tears as she ran from him.

Humphrey himself felt the inconsolable sadness that was the memory of him and Kate together. But yet even through the despair he managed a weak smile, knowing that Kate would end up being happy with Garth. She would have a good life with him, and the packs would finally be able to get along.

But, Kate was the opposite of happy, and her stomach churned every time she looked at Garth's face. She would try her hardest, but no matter what, she could only think of Humphrey. Her life was miserable at best, and she wished that everything could just go back to the way it used to be, but of course it never would…

A week went by, and Kate's impending nuptials kept creeping closer by the minute. To Kate, her marriage represented a death sentence, ending her old life as Humphrey's mate. Now, she would start her new life, where she would spend the rest of her days trying to force herself to believe that Garth was half the wolf that Humphrey had been.

She would be wed to Garth in only a few days now, and the closer the day came, the more Kate fell into her self-made abyss of misery.

In the past week, Humphrey hadn't seen Kate at all, and he would give anything now just to see those fiery, electrifying amber eyes one more time. He was so worried about her that he couldn't sleep; and when his finally did find that elusive torpidity, he was only assaulted by nightmares and shades of his own worst fears.

In one particular dream of his, Kate had emerged from a clearing and walked up to him. She smiled fondly at him, and kissed him. He had closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, and when he opened them, Kate had turned into some savage, rabid reincarnation of her former self. She then proceeded to chase after him screaming, 'Why Humphrey, why did you abandon me? _How could you?!_' He remembered rousing from the dream shouting at the top of his lungs, and waking up half of the pack.

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><p><em>Three Days before Kate's Wedding:<em>

Humphrey woke with a groan, glad to be awake and nightmare free once again. As he rose, he noticed one of his closest friends standing before him. Salty gave him a quizzical look as he got up, examining the state of his broken friend.

"Humphrey, you don't look so good buddy…" He said concernedly. "But no worries, because you're going to the moonlight howl tonight!"

"No Salty, I'm not. You don't understand. Kate was the only-"

"Nonsense!" Salty said, hoping to make Humphrey forget all about his previous relationship. "We already made some arrangements with a girl. Her name's Anna and she seems _really _interested in you. Come on Humphrey, give it a chance!"

"Salty, I can't… it's just not a good time." Humphrey said with a sigh. All of this talk about moonlight howls made him think of Kate even more, and made him feel worse.

"Oh come on Humphrey, you have to forget the past. Please just try it. Please?"

Humphrey knew there was no way he was going to get out of this, so instead he begrudgingly gave in.

"A- alright. I'll go, but just for a little while, alright?" Humphrey said uneasily.

"Great, I knew you would want to!" Salty replied happily. "I'll make sure Anna's ready for you when you get there tonight, okay?"

"Alright…"

Humphrey was nervous about going out to a howl for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. But, he had promised, and he wasn't going to let his friend down.

The day went by slowly, which proved to be very beneficial to Humphrey, who was already beginning to get cold feet for his date tonight. He wasn't comfortable with it at all. The whole situation just felt… _wrong._

But, when the time came for him to depart for the moonlight howl, Humphrey had washed up and made himself look acceptable anyway.

As he walked up the hill to the big howling rock, Salty was waiting for him, and he was with a female that Humphrey presumed to be Anna. She was pretty, but she was lacking something that Humphrey just couldn't seem to place.

Anna approached him, flashing him a cute smile. She giggled and said.

"Hi… I'm Anna, and you must be Humphrey! Right?"

But Humphrey couldn't respond. He couldn't even breathe. Everything was wrong about Anna in his eyes. Her facial features, her attitude, and just her disposition seemed flawed. In other words, she was nothing like Kate.

"Um yeah…" Humphrey said nervously, slowly backing away from Anna, as if she was infected with some deadly disease. "Look… I'm sorry, I really am. But I- I just can't do this right now." He stammered. He then whipped around and darted off, leaving a very confused Anna in the dust.

He ran into the woods breathing heavily. He was sweating, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He now knew that Kate had practically ruined him for any other girl that was interested in even talking to him.

He kept on walking until he got to the river that ran through the valley. He sat down and thought about what he had just done. He had abandoned a perfectly good date just because the girl didn't compare with Kate.

He was more torn than ever now. His life with Kate had ended, he had just abandoned a girl over his own irrational judgment, and he just felt downright terrible about himself. All of his pent up grief had been building up for a long time now, and Humphrey could no longer contain himself. He arched his back, raised his muzzle to the heavens and blasted out a long, mournful howl.

After a few moments, he stopped. But he then realized that the howl had made him feel a lot better, so he kept going, letting loose a fray of emotions, all carefully woven into the beautiful notes he was now singing. Like a masterful artist, he painted his worries into a melodic ballet of raw pain, serenading the forest around him and the skies above with a haunting, powerful chant of pain, heartache, and longing...

* * *

><p><p>

"Come on Kate, everything will be fine, trust me." Garth said comfortingly, but Kate was still reluctant to go to the moonlight howl with _Barf. _She knew that everything would definitely not be fine, as she was sure that she would stumble across Humphrey, howling with some other girl. She also didn't trust Garth one bit, so whenever he said 'trust me', it made her grit her teeth.

"Alright, _honey_." She replied with a sarcastic undertone. "Let's go."

So they set off for the howl, and during the entire walk there, Garth couldn't keep quiet about his stupid fitness routines and whatnot, which made Kate sick to her stomach.

As they arrived, Kate felt like hiding her face from the others. Everyone watched as she came in with Garth. She knew that she was supposed to be with Humphrey tonight, but instead she had arrived with a stranger; a stranger that she was getting married to in just a few days.

As they walked up, many of the girls began to swoon over Garth, finding his superior masculinity quite attractive, but Kate only felt a terrible combination of embarrassment and resentment towards him. He was like a kid, showing off whenever he was presented an opportunity to, and she felt like some underappreciated assistant.

Kate detested it with all her heart and she wished she could just get away from the awful situation she was in. She stopped abruptly, prompting Garth to look back nervously at her.

"Kate, what's wrong now?"

"Nothing…" Kate said passively as she continued on with him, as they headed to the top of the howling rock. But suddenly, something surged within Kate. Maybe it was her own stubbornness, or maybe it had something to do with her absolute hatred for Garth, but she suddenly turned and ran from her date. Garth looked back and saw Kate sprint off. He knew that he had to keep Kate in line and under control until the wedding, so he ran after her.

But Kate was surprisingly light on her feet, and she proved to be quite faster than him, and was able to get down the mountain and hide without Garth spotting her. She stopped and waited in silence. As she waited in the thick brush, all that could be heard was the sound of her own rapid breathing, and… _a howl. _

She lifted her head up, and listened to the soft, sad melody. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard in her life, and there was something familiar about the tone. She had to find out where it was coming from, so she ran through the trees, chasing after the alluring song, and at last she came to the source of the charming incantation.

There, sitting by the lake and bathed in shadows, sat a lone wolf. Kate watched as this mysterious wolf sang at the top of their lungs. She was enticed by this wolf for some reason, so she decided to sit and listen in.

Humphrey continued to sing until he exhausted himself. As he finished, he walked over to the banks of the river and looked down upon his own reflection, a broken shell of his former self.

"Kate, I miss you… I miss you so, so much. I just wish you knew that…" Humphrey said to himself. But little did he know, Kate had heard everything.

At first, she merely felt confused. Who could this other wolf be that was mentioning her? And then, it hit her. Her jaw dropped as she realized that the wolf who sat by the river was none other than Humphrey. The moon came out from behind a cloud and cast its light down upon the wolf, confirming her suspicions. Anger began to swell within her, dominating all of her other feelings.

_Why couldn't he just stay out of her life? And what was he playing at, talking about missing her?_

Her anger grew until she could no longer keep the tempest within her quiet. She burst out of the clearing, determined to get the truth, once and for all.

"You!" She shouted as she ran towards Humphrey and tackled him to the ground.

Humphrey immediately leapt back to his feet and spun around. He saw Kate and noticed the rage in her eyes.

"Oww! Kate, w- what are you doing here?!" He asked nervously.

"I should ask you the same thing!" Kate yelled, "Why were you howling like that? And why did you say that you… _missed_ me?"

"I… don't know." Humphrey responded sheepishly, much to Kate's discontent.

"You liar!" She screamed, her temper still getting the better of her.

"Kate, I think you should leave…" Humphrey said.

"No, not until you tell me what you meant when you were talking about me! And I want the truth Humphrey!" Kate said with a snarl.

"Kate, please don't make me do this…" Humphrey pleaded, but Kate just continued to glare at him.

"Alright!" Humphrey said exasperatedly, "That day when I said I hated you… I lied. I lied because I promised your dad that I would do anything to protect you, no matter what happened. I knew they were going to kill us, so I made it seem like I didn't like you so they would let us live."

Kate's expression loosened up, and her eyes widened a bit, but she still held her glare.

Kate began to walk towards Humphrey, trying to still make sense of what Humphrey was telling her.

"So you're telling me that you- you _lied _to me deliberately?" She snarled.

Humphrey began to slowly back up, until he ran into a tree. Kate had him trapped now, and there was nothing he could do to prevent her from clawing him to shreds.

"Well… yes." Humphrey said timidly.

"And you still loved me this entire time, and you weren't even going to bother to tell me?"

Kate kept walking towards him until her face was only inches away from his.

"Of course I wasn't going to tell you. If you didn't marry Garth, there would be a war. I wasn't going to risk telling you." He said. He stared into Kate's hazel eyes, waiting for a response, but none came. Kate just stared back at him with an expressionless face.

"So," Humphrey said, trying to break the silence. "I'm really sorry, and I would appreciate it if you didn't, you know… _kill me_."

"I'm not going to kill you Humphrey… What I have in mind is a _much _better punishment."

Kate smiled deviously and quickly leaned towards Humphrey and kissed him. Humphrey was appalled, but he kissed back. Soon enough, Kate began to cry as she kissed him. She broke the kiss and embraced Humphrey, holding him tightly against her.

"I… missed you so much Humphrey. When you said you'd never loved me, I was just so scared. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I love you Humphrey…"

"Kate, you don't have to apologize. Trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was tell everyone that I hated you, but I didn't have a choice."

"I know…" Kate said, still crying. "Thank you."

"But Kate, you still have to marry Garth."

"What?" Kate said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I can't now! Now that I know you still love me, there's no way I could marry him."

"Kate you don't have a choice. See, this is why I didn't want you finding out about what I did. Now you want to call off the marriage, and start a war!"

"No, it doesn't have to be like that Humphrey. We can run-"

"Run away? That won't exactly stop the war from coming."

"Well I can't marry him. I love you Humphrey, and even though I hated you, I still missed you."

"Kate… just don't. Marry Garth, please. I should go. No one should see you with me before the wedding." Humphrey said as he began to edge away from Kate.

"Humphrey, wait! There's something else. There's another reason I can't marry Garth!"

Humphrey stopped but didn't turn around. He realized what Kate was going to say, though he wished that she wouldn't.

"Humphrey…" She said with a shaky chuckle.

"I'm pregnant."

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><p><strong>So, that's where I'll end it for now. Do you like how things are turning out? If so, leave a review! Thanks everyone and upload dates and story info have been updated on my profile so be sure to check it out! <strong>

**Thanks,**

**-wolfgang**


	6. Regrets of an Omega

**Alright, I finally got over my small bout of writers block and got this chapter done finally! Just like always, I hope you like the chapter, and please leave a review if you did. Tell me what you like, what you hate, and what you'd like to see in the future. I'm open to all suggestions, and the reviews really help!**

**Thanks again, and enjoy!**

**-wolfgangwalker**

* * *

><p><strong><span>-A Beautiful Sadness-<span>**

"The best way out is always through."

- Robert Frost

**Chapter 6: Regrets of an Omega**

_"I'm pregnant."_

The words ricocheted around in Humphrey's mind as he began to slowly grasp reality and the situation at hand. He looked up at the beautiful alpha in front of him, trying to fathom what her words meant to him.

"Kate… wh- what are you saying?" He asked distressfully.

"Well, uh…" She faltered. "What I'm saying is that- I'm going to have pups soon."

"Well that's good!" Humphrey said uneasily, "I'm happy for you."

"Humphrey." Kate said with a tone of pure and absolute seriousness, "You're the father."

Humphrey had known that the pups would undoubtedly be his, but the shock still seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks. He tried to maintain his composure, to keep his racing mind under control, but he just couldn't.

He groaned, knowing that Kate's pregnancy would be ruinous to her wedding plans. He stood silently, staring down at the cold, barren ground; trying to comprehend the fact that he would soon be a father.

He should've expected this, knowing full well that Kate and him had 'played around' quite a bit while they had been away from Jasper, but of course he hadn't thought about what it would eventually lead to until now. He wanted to hit himself for not realizing this sooner.

His blank eyes remained fixated on the ground for a while, and then finally looked up at Kate. His eyes flickered in the dim moonlight, and a frown draped itself across his face.

"How long have you known?"

"Pretty much since we got back…" Kate said shamefully, regretting her decision to withhold the knowledge of her pregnancy from Humphrey. "But, I wanted it to be a surprise! I was going to tell in a few days, but-"

"Kate… It- it doesn't matter." Humphrey said coldly. "This changes nothing. You have to marry Garth anyway, tell everyone that the pups are his."

"What- what do you mean? No Humphrey I'm not doing that! I can't live a fake life with Garth and lie about our kids. But… why aren't you excited for us? Don't you want to have pups?"

"You have to marry him!" Humphrey shouted, making his voice heard far and wide through the vast forest. He didn't care if anyone else heard; he just had to get his point across. "If you don't go through with this marriage, Tony will have you killed! He'll kill you, and he'll kill me. Then, there will be a war and even more of us will die!"

The only reply Kate gave was a dreadfully anguished grimace as she shied away from his gaze. He had hurt her, and he knew it. She was one of the strongest alphas ever born, but he knew that his foolishly misplaced words could wound her more than claws or teeth ever would.

"Kate," He said now in a more calming voice. "I've always wanted to have a family with you. It's been my dream since… forever. I'm so happy that we're going to be parents, and I wouldn't want to be a father to anyone else's children. But, we'll never be able to be together. Not here in Jasper at least."

"I know that Humphrey. I know, but we can run away! We can run away and hope for the best."

Humphrey sighed. He walked up to Kate and put his paws on hers. He stared straight into her eyes, and smiled. He could see the fear in her eyes, and he wished he knew how to repress that, but for now all he could do was tell her the truth.

"Kate," He said, in a soft voice. "When we were first taken away from Jasper, you told me something about responsibility, and how I didn't understand. But I think I do understand now, and I know that you have to marry Garth, or else a lot of us are going to get hurt."

He then leaned closer to her ear, sending chills down her spine, and whispered.

"_I love you- so much Kate… Goodbye."_

And Humphrey turned and ran off, leaving Kate at a loss for words.

Kate looked on at him in disbelief, waiting for the wall of depression to knock her down once again. Her emotions alone had fluctuated from fear, anger, sadness, joy, to utter disappointment all in one night. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted Humphrey so bad, and yet there he was, running away from her once again!

She wanted to scream at him, to tell him that she wanted to be with him. That she wanted to settle down with him and spend the rest of their lives together. But of course, she couldn't muster up enough strength to tell him.

She was exhausted now, and she had no more stamina to keep on chasing after Humphrey. She looked on as she saw the silvery omega run through the forest. Humphrey became a faint shape in the distance and then vanished from sight altogether.

"No, Humphrey… no, no, no…" Kate choked out as she began to sob. She looked up at the moon, now radiating with a pure white light that cast an ominous aura down upon Jasper. She looked to this moon, and the stars beyond, praying for a way out of this; some escape that she could take to be free of her responsibility. But she found no solution to her problems, except to marry Garth.

She now realized something that she should've seen a long time ago. Something that would have stopped her from getting on that train and going after Humphrey in the first place. Something that would have saved her so much effort and so many tears along the way. It had haunted Kate throughout her rollercoaster relationship with Humphrey, casting a shadow over their blind and innocent bliss. But, she had never dared to open her eyes to acknowledge that simple truth.

_Alphas and omegas were never meant to be together._

_The Day of the Wedding:_

"Kate, you look beautiful." Eve raved as she finished preparing her daughter for her wedding.

"Yeah…" Kate said idly. She wasn't really paying attention to her mother, as she was lost in her own daydream. She was imagining that Humphrey was the groom at this wedding, and that she would get to approach him instead of Garth and stare into his calm blue eyes. She would finally get to kiss him in front of the entire pack, and they would officially be mates for life. But of course instead she would be kissing Garth, and binding herself to a lifelong sentence as _his_ mate; something she looked on at with an ever growing animosity.

"Kate what's wrong?" Eve asked, noting her daughter's lack of exuberance.

"Mom, you know what's wrong." Kate said flatly, hoping that her mom would just be quiet so she could return to her fantasy.

"Kate, you have to get over that boy. He's an omega! You know the law…"

"I know." Kate said; hating the fact that she had to be reminded of the 'law' where ever she went.

After everyone situated themselves in the valley below, Kate and her family began to walk down from the den, where they would meet with Garth and Tony near the altar. Kate was sure to take incredibly slow steps to ensure that she could prolong her freedom as much as possible.

But yet, they still made it down to the valley, where Garth and Tony were already waiting.

"Alright, let's see if we can get it right this time." Tony whispered to Kate. "It would be such a shame if you decided to _back out _again_._"

"I won't" Kate said with an attenuated snarl.

"Good," Tony said with a smug grin. "Because it's time to start."

So Kate and Garth stepped forward, and commenced the arduous marriage process. Kate looked out over the crowd for a brief second, and caught sight of a familiar pair of blue eyes. She looked out at Humphrey, heartbroken.

Humphrey could see the pain in Kate's eyes and he saw how much she detested being up there with Garth. He stared intensely into her eyes, daring to look into the deepest, most private facets of her being, and she stared straight back. Those fiery, longing eyes told him more in that single moment than a lifetime of conversation could.

And then it hit him. Humphrey realized that this was _all wrong_. His mate was up there, about to marry another wolf, and he was just sitting back watching it as if Kate was just another complete stranger to him. But of course she was so much more than that to him; she was even carrying his offspring.

_I don't care if they kill me, I don't care if they never let me see Kate again, but I'm not letting her marry Garth, ever. _He decided.

The ceremony was coming to a close, and Garth and Kate both began to lean in for the kiss. This was the last chance to stop this.

Kate made a repulsed face as she leaned ever closer to Garth. She could feel his warm breath on her face, and knew that the time she had left of being her old self was measured in mere seconds as her freedom slowly slipped away into the void that embodied this marriage.

Humphrey took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and shouted with all his might.

"Stop! Stop the marriage!"

Everyone looked around, bewildered at what was happening. Humphrey defiantly stood up, and stuck his chest out in a superior manner. Now that Kate looked over at him, she noticed that he looked more like an alpha now in this moment, and her heart swooned.

"I won't let you marry him Kate. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it, but it doesn't matter what happens now. I love you, and I don't want you to get married to someone else. I'm not afraid to love you anymore."

Kate stood shocked up at the altar, with Garth standing awkwardly beside her. Humphrey's words enchanted her, and took control of her. She began to hesitantly walk towards him, jumping down off of the podium and walking up to Humphrey. She hated how he could do this; entice her with his soothing voice and charming smile.

The fact that he could somehow bend her to his will so easily angered her, but she knew that his intentions were always good, and she trusted him more than anyone.

The crowd was now dead silent as they watched the unbelievable scene before them.

As Kate reached Humphrey, she lowered her head shamefully.

"Humphrey… we can't. You were right, we shouldn't-"

"Forget what I said," Humphrey said as he put his paw under Kate's chin and lifted it. "Garth isn't the one for you. I am, and I know that I want, no, _need _to spend the rest of my life with you."

Kate looked at him quizzically, and then let out a small chuckle.

"You know, you sound crazy right now." She said with a smile.

"I know. I'm sorry." Humphrey said embarrassedly, feeling shame in making Kate look like a fool in front of both packs.

"No Humphrey." Kate said as she raised her muzzle to his ear. "I fell in love with the crazy omega."

She moved her head back and apprehensively began to move her muzzle towards his. She looked around at the crowd watching the two of them, but omitted them all from her mind. All she could focus on was Humphrey and the incredibly stupid thing she was about to do.

Kate was only a hair away from Humphrey now. He closed his eyes, and she knew now there was no going back. She elicited a small pant, and completed the final stretch of her journey to her mate. Alpha nose met with omega as the two shared a passionate kiss in front of _everyone,_ earning the couple a few ooh's and aww's.

Kate withdrew from Humphrey grinning from ear to ear, and looked around. Most of the wolves were smiling at them, some had looks of complete and absolute disbelief, and a few just looked angry, including Tony.

"Enough!" Tony shouted, "What is this? Alphas and omegas _can not _and _will not_ be able to be together, ever!" He then turned to Winston, seething. "You tell your daughter that if she doesn't get away from that _coyote_ and marry Garth, there's going to be a war!"

"Seriously what's with everyone calling me a coyote lately?" Humphrey said under his breath, but was quickly elbowed by Kate, before he could say anything too loud and boisterous.

"You know what," Winston said, "You go ahead and have your war Tony, because there's no way I'm separating Kate from that boy."

"Oh I see how it is… That's it Winston, I've had enough of this!" Tony growled. "Eastern pack, kill them. Kill them _all!"_

Before either Kate or Humphrey could realize it, wolves from both packs began to engage one another. There was fighting _everywhere, _and Tony was finally getting the war he wanted.

"Humphrey!" A voice shouted off in the distance. "Humphrey!"

Humphrey spun around, looking for the source of the call. He found Winston through the anarchy, still shouting his name.

"Humphrey! Take Kate and _run! _Get out of here now!" The old wolf shouted. Humphrey could see the direness on his face.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Humphrey said to himself as he ran over to Kate.

"Kate, your dad told us to run. So come on, we need to go _now_!"

So the two ran in the opposite direction of the fray, hoping to escape the bloody conflict.

However, Tony had expected something of this nature, and easily spotted the couple fleeing the battle.

"Oh no you don't. You're mine!" Tony shouted. He grabbed another one of his top alpha wolves and the two ran off in pursuit of Humphrey and Kate.

Humphrey knew that they wouldn't be able to run forever, so the only option left for them was to hide. So, they ran over to a crop of boulders, and hid behind one of them. They laid down, and waited in silence. Humphrey could hear Kate's rapid breathing, and he knew that she might have been more afraid now then she ever had been in her life.

The uncertainty ate away at Kate. What could possibly be going on back with the others? Who might have already died? Kate felt like screaming, but a paw resting itself on hers calmed her before she could do anything irrational.

"Kate, it's going to be ok. I promise." Humphrey said.

Kate leaned over and buried her head deep into Humphrey's fur.

"I hope so…" She said in a muffled voice.

Suddenly, there was a scuttling sound from around the boulder, and Tony materialized out of nowhere. He was with another wolf, and both were growling.

"Well, well, well." Tony chuckled. "Having a tender final embrace? Well, I'm sorry we have to ruin it now. I'm going to teach you how an alpha and an omega should truly behave, and then I'm going to kill you." He sneered.

Kate stood up and was going to say something in protest, but Humphrey beat her to it. He bolted up, and snarled, making Tony jump the slightest bit.

"You lay one hand on her, and I swear I'll rip your throat out!" He roared, much to Kate's, and everyone else's, surprise.

"Wow, look at this feisty omega!" Tony said to his comrade with a hearty laugh. "Such big talk, yet such a small bite!"

"We'll see about that!" Humphrey shouted as he ran forward and tackled Tony, catching him hopelessly off guard. Kate immediately followed his lead and attacked Tony's companion.

Humphrey and Tony dropped to the ground like a rock, and both adversaries collided with the hard earth in a cloud of dust. Tony pushed himself off of Humphrey and went straight for the kill. Claws gleaming in the sunlight, Tony swept for Humphrey's throat. Humphrey barely shuffled out of the way in time, dodging the advance by less than he'd care to admit. Humphrey spun around, and flung himself again at Tony.

Kate winced as her opponent dug his claws straight into her hip. She kicked him back, and stood over him. She gave the wolf an intimidating growl, and struck again. She pounced at him, and knocked him back. She then jumped behind him, and clamped down as hard as she could down upon his tail, evoking a loud yelp.

Meanwhile, Tony and Humphrey had now broken apart, and were circling each other.

"What's the matter?" Tony taunted. "Tired of getting beat up by an old wolf?"

"I will admit," Humphrey said tiredly, "You _are_ stronger than you look."

Tony grinned. He knew he had the upper hand. There was no way for this omega to get an advantage over him now.

"Well for a pack dog, you're not so bad yourself." Tony said with a devious smile. "Now let's finish this."

Tony jumped straight at Humphrey. His eyes focused on what would soon be his kill. But, Humphrey had already anticipated Tony's next move, and sidestepped the attack with ease. Tony overshot his target, and crashed to the ground. Humphrey quickly seized his opportunity and jumped on top of Tony. He wasn't experienced with killing another wolf, but he knew what had to be done.

Humphrey placed his paws over Tony's throat, and began to press down, slowly draining the life from the wolf that had caused him so much agony over the past few weeks.

Kate clawed at her enemy with all her might, using her emotion to drive her passion for vengeance. The wolf clawed back, but at the moment she was oblivious to the pain. She suddenly stepped back, and rammed herself into the wolf, rendering him unconscious. She looked down upon the rival, satisfied with her work.

She quickly turned to see how Humphrey was doing when she was met with quite a disturbing sight. Humphrey was standing over Tony, choking him out. The 'fun loving omega' showed no mercy as he pressed into Tony's neck.

Kate was shocked, finding Humphrey's sudden rage frightening. She had never felt such an odd combination of excitement and fear as she stood by and watched in awe.

Humphrey glared at Tony, spilling all of his anger and contempt for the eastern pack leader into this one vile act of savagery. He could see Tony's energy draining from his face, and could feel him resisting less and less.

"You just couldn't leave us alone!" Humphrey shouted at him. "Why couldn't you just let us be together?!"

But, Tony only responded in a series of gurgles and groans as the life was pressed from him.

Humphrey looked down at Tony again, but this time he felt pity. He realized that killing Tony wasn't going to fix things just like that. He quickly pulled off Tony, leaving the elder wolf coughing and gasping for air. He looked down upon the wolf that he had nearly just killed, and a wave of shame hit him.

Kate ran over to him, and stared at him in shock.

"Humphrey! You almost just… just killed-" Kate exclaimed

"Yeah I know…" Humphrey replied morosely. "I can't believe I was about to that. What was I thinking?"

"No Humphrey, that was… amazing!" She said, still gawking. "I knew you _probably_ wouldn't kill him, but you did that to protect us. Thank you…"

Humphrey's ears perked up, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Well your welcome, but it was my fault in the first place, and I had to set things right. Look, I'm sorry I was about to let you marry Garth. I should've been more protective of you and not have let you go so easily. I feel like-"

"Humphrey…"

"What?"

"Don't talk." Kate said as she came in close. She noticed that ever since Humphrey had stood up for at the altar, she had never been more infatuated with him. She couldn't control herself from her own desire, and now it was time for her emotions to run rampant. She kissed him, with more fervor and passion than she ever had before. Humphrey's eyes lit up as he noticed this, but quickly closed them again as he savored the moment.

"I forgive you." Kate said panting once she finally broke away from the kiss.

Humphrey smiled back at Kate, and then shook his head, remembering that there was still a war going on. He walked straight over to Tony, with a newfound look of importance in his stride. Tony was still on the ground, coughing and sputtering. Humphrey came over him like a menacing shadow, and Tony winced instinctively at the omegas startling omnipotence.

"Well omega, what are you going to do now?" Tony asked challengingly.

"For starters, how about you call off this war, and then we can talk about your disapproval with alphas and omegas getting married." Kate said as she walked up beside Humphrey, making a point of brushing her tail up his spine as enticingly as possible as she walked by; making Humphrey shudder in ecstasy.

Tony cringed at the sight, but sighed as he said,

"Alright, alright! You didn't kill me, and I have enough dignity to admit that I owe you both, but that doesn't mean I'll allow you to be together."

Kate looked Tony straight in the eye.

"We'll see about that."

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, well that's all for now! Hope you thought it was good, and if you did please leave a review. Thanks! My profile is updated, and you can check there for update times, as well as new story ideas. Update times for the final chapter 7 are up. <strong>

**Thanks again everyone, and thank you for your continued interest in the story!**

**-wolfgang**


	7. To Kill an Alpha

**Well, after a month, I have a new chapter for all of you! Thank you so much for waiting, and I hope that this makes up for it. So enjoy and be sure to leave a review if you liked it, or if you hated it! Thanks again everyone and I'll have more info regarding the final chapter of this story on my profile, so go check it out!**  
><span>

**Thanks and enjoy,  
>-wolfgangwalker<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>-A Beautiful Sadness-<span>**

_"We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon."_

_-Konrad Adenauer _

**Chapter 7: To Kill an Alpha**

Humphrey and Kate practically had to drag Tony back to the battlefield, for when the old wolf wasn't gasping for air; he was protesting or complaining about the intense, sweltering heat.

They finally were able to get back to the valley, where they were met with a daunting scene. Wolves were strewn all over the place, clawing, tearing, and biting their way through the masses. The ground was spattered in all shades of red, and there were even a few wolves lying on the ground, either wounded or possibly worse.

Even Tony's eyes lit up as they began to register the chaos beyond.

"Well, I hope you're happy," Kate said grimly. "Because you definitely got your war."

"I didn't think… it would be like this…" Tony said shamefully.

"What, you didn't think that others would die if you started a war?" Humphrey asked hotly.

"No I didn't!" Tony snapped. "Now just- let me call it off before it gets any worse."

Tony walked slowly through the crowds, paying no attention to the turmoil around him. And no one seemed to pay him any attention in turn, as he miraculously came to the center of the battle without a scratch. Tony looked over at Kate and Humphrey again. Kate growled at him, and he quickly looked away.

He howled at the top of his lungs, and the fighting remarkably stopped. All heads turned towards him, wondering what the commotion was all about.

Tony stopped once he saw that he had everyone's attention.

"Western pack, fall back now! The fighting is over, return to the territory!" Tony shouted.

The western pack wolves groaned as they began to walk loathingly back to their territory, while all of the eastern wolves began to cheer victoriously.

Tony walked back to Kate and Humphrey, with an air of self-respect about him, masking the bitter pain of defeat that he now ached with.

"Alright, happy?" He asked scornfully.

"Not quite." Humphrey said, making Tony roll his eyes. "We want your approval."

"Approval? For what?"

"Don't play dumb," Kate said as she stepped towards Tony, eyes narrowed. "We want your approval of our marriage."

_**The Next Day:**_

Dawn broke across the valley, turning the sky a breathtaking blend of oranges, reds, and purples. Humphrey woke first, and found Kate wrapped in his arms, sleeping soundly.

He smiled as he looked at her, taking in what would soon be his wife. After Tony had agreed to let Kate and Humphrey get married, they went back to the den to spread the good news. They had all celebrated well into the night, and then turned in for a well-earned sleep.

Kate woke up, smiled and rolled over to face Humphrey.

"Good morning." She said softly.

"Good morning." Humphrey repeated. "You know what?"

"What?" Kate asked with a playful grin.

"Only one more day until the wedding." Humphrey said.

Kate grinned back at him, and replied with a simple kiss.

"We did it." She said with a smile. But her smile slowly dissipated from her face as she looked into Humphrey's vibrant blue eyes.

"Humphrey?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that this shouldn't really bother me now… but why did you run away from Jasper in the first place? Why didn't you just tell me that you loved me before you left?"

Humphrey frowned, not knowing how to answer this unexpected question from his mate. He didn't even truly know his own reasoning behind leaving Jasper, and why he hadn't confessed his love to Kate sooner.

"Well… I guess that I was just afraid of what you would say if I told you I loved you. And you seemed to be happy, and I wasn't going to get in the way of that. I left because you had the perfect life with Garth, and it hurt me too much to stay and watch as you got to live that life with him."

Kate smiled, satisfied with his answer.

"That's what makes you such a great guy…" Kate said, giving him a short, tender kiss. "But if you had told me you had loved me sooner, I would've run away on that train with you. And by the way," Kate said, standing up and walking towards the front of the den.

"I didn't have the perfect life with Garth; I have the perfect life with you." She said walking out into the new morning's daylight.

Humphrey stared on at her in admiration for a moment, got up, and went after her.

* * *

><p>Garth paced back and forth across the brittle grass, which crackled in protest under his paws. A scowl ran itself across his face, adding a new, more sinister aspect to his temperament.<p>

_No, no, no… This isn't right! _Garth shouted in his head. _She should be with YOU, not that stupid runt of an omega. _

Garth had secretly fallen in love with Kate while they had been engaged, and everything had been looking up for him, _until _that stupid omega had stolen Kate from him. He remembered when Kate had glided right by him to join Humphrey at the altar, and he knew then that there was only one way to get Kate back.

_I'm going to kill Humphrey, and end this once and for all…_

He could just picture Kate's alluring body in his mind, and he knew he would do anything and everything necessary to get her back.

Night began to wrap Jasper in its silent, suffocating arms as the last light was expunged from the sky. Most of the wolves had settled in for the night, and things had calmed down considerably. An aura of relief was now cast upon the pack. No more worrying about fighting. No more thinking about an impending war. The battle was over for now, and for the first time in a long time, Jasper was pungently calm.

It was the dead of night when Kate woke up, as she was too nervous about her wedding day to sleep. She sat up, and quickly noticed that Humphrey was missing. She went outside looking for him, and found herself surprisingly concerned for her future mate's safety. She had almost lost him several times in the past week, and she was still weary.

She could pick up his sweet, tantalizing scent in the wind, but it was faint. Kate continued to search, and after a while she was finally able to locate him. He was sitting at the top of the howling rock, looking out upon the starry sky.

She walked up the steep hill to him shyly, not wanting to disturb whatever deep thoughts he was having.

She came up behind him, but Humphrey seemed to not notice her. He was in another world, and eyes were empty, devoid, and hollow. The being that embodied those twinkling blue lamps had been whisked away to some deep inner crevice within himself.

"Humphrey?" Kate asked, yearning for a response from her eerily unresponsive mate.

Humphrey jumped slightly, rousing himself from his thoughts.

"Oh hey Kate, what are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you, so I came out here to find you." She admitted.

"Oh…" Humphrey said as he turned his head back to the sky and continued to gaze. Kate stood awkwardly next to him for a few minutes, wondering if she should just leave Humphrey to himself for a while. Just as she was going to leave, Humphrey turned to her, face gleaming with a newfound exuberance.

"Kate, let's run away!"

"What?" Kate said, raising her head to face him. "Run away? Why would we do that now?"

Humphrey paused for a minute, searching for an answer from himself.

"Just… because we _can_. Come on Kate! We can leave now in the night and be miles away by sunrise."

"Ok Humphrey now you really _do _sound crazy. We can't just take off in the middle of the night! And why would we want to anyway? Everything is going to be fine now." She stared at him, and the deeper she looked, the more concerned Humphrey appeared.

She placed her paw on top of his, and spoke in a soft tone,

"What's bothering you Humphrey…"

"It's just that… I feel like it's not over yet." Humphrey said finally. "We're still in danger Kate, I know it. If we left, we could finally be done with this entire thing. I don't want you to get hurt Kate, and I know you will if we stay here."

Kate walked up closer to Humphrey and buried her muzzle deep in his neck.

"You worry too much Humphrey." She said, her voice muffled by Humphrey's thick coat.

"I know, I guess I'm just paranoid… that's all." Humphrey said, realizing now that running away from home tonight wasn't the most practical of ideas.

"I know, I've been worried too. We've just been through so much, and it might seem like everyone's still out to get us- but it's all over now."

Humphrey sighed, letting a little tension slip through.

"You're right, well let's get back to the den; we've got a big day tomorrow." He said as he began to head down the hill. But Kate thrust her paw in front of him and stopped the confused omega in his tracks.

"No, let's just… stay here for a little while." She said with a grin.

So they laid down and continued to watch the night's dazzling presentation. A few hours later, Humphrey finally spoke up.

"Hey Kate, we should probably head back-" He began to say until he heard the light fluttering sound of Kate's faint snoring. She had fallen fast asleep now, and Humphrey wouldn't dare wake her now. He smiled to himself, put his arms over her, and closed his eyes.

**_The Wedding Day:_**

The sun rose slowly, like a waking giant, and washed the valley with a new light.

Kate woke, wondering at first where she was, but quickly remembered. She smiled, and then began to laugh playfully. She got up and leaned her head close to Humphrey's.

"Wake up Humphrey," She said as she began to nudge him.

Humphrey woke to find a wet nose prodding him awake. He smiled and yawned.

"Hey beautiful, what's got you so excited?" He said with a smirk.

Kate rolled her eyes, and continued to nudge him.

"Come on, we have to get ready!" She said with an edge of fervor and excitement that Humphrey had never seen in her before. "Everyone's probably looking for us!"

"Alright, alright, I'm up…" Humphrey said groggily, even though he was still lying in the floor. He slowly got up, but as soon as he was upright, Kate started to drag him down the howling rock to get ready for their wedding.

As soon as they were back in the valley, they were greeted by a mob of equally ecstatic wolves. They were all smiling, and telling them things like,

"Where have you two been? Half the pack has been looking for you!"

"Congratulations, you two look _soo _cute together!"

"I wish I could marry Humphrey, you are so lucky Kate!"

Kate shot a questionable look at the wolf who said that last one, but continued on walking through the throng. Kate and Humphrey were split up as they were sent off to get ready.

Kate went up to her den, where her mother was waiting for her.

"Where have you been dear?" She said questionably. "Were you fooling around with that omega last night?"

"What? No mom…" Kate said embarrassingly, as she felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks.

"Good," Eve said with a satisfactory smile. "And if he does anything you don't like, just come and tell me and I'll-"

"Mom it's fine! Humphrey's a good guy; he isn't going to do anything like that." Kate said, interrupting her mom before she could say anything disturbing.

"I know he is, and I'm happy for you sweetie." She said, "Now let's get you ready."

Humphrey had quickly washed up down at the stream, and made himself look acceptable before heading to the altar.

As he came out of the forest and entered the clearing, he noticed the staggering number of wolves that were planted around the altar. Both eastern and western packs were gathered together to witness the first ever wedding between an alpha and an omega.

A thousand eyes turned towards Humphrey, and he stopped in suprise. There was a brief moment of tense silence, until someone in the crowd began to feverishly cheer. The rest of the group quickly took the cue and joined in.

Humphrey became slightly dazed as he heard the massive congregation whooping and howling for him. His heart began to beat rapidly as he stepped up to the alar. He wasn't sure if the scene around him was real or if it was some incredible dream he was having.

He took his place on top of the rock, waiting silently for his soon-to-be mate to appear. For the next few minutes, everyone sat silently, and the tension among the group was inconceivably thick.

Suddenly, all heads turned at once to face Kate, who had just emerged from her den. Everyone gasped, including Humphrey, whose heart nearly exploded at the sight of her.

She was more beautiful and breathtaking than he had ever seen her, and he couldn't help but let his tongue hang out. He quickly closed his mouth however as soon as he looked over and noticed that Eve was growling at him.

Kate took long, graceful strides up to the altar, looking more like an angel than a wolf as her slender body began to climb the rock to the altar. Her silky, golden hair had been brushed to perfection, and there was a freshly picked lily behind her ear.

Kate looked up and found Humphrey already at the altar, staring at her with a blazing infatuation. Kate couldn't help but gasp, as the dazzling appearance of Humphrey took her breath away. She stopped, staring right back at him. He gave her a small smile, and she continued on until she was up with him on the altar.

"You- you look… _stunning._" Humphrey said as strained to put the simple sentence together.

Kate looked away, trying to hide her blush, but she knew now was not the time for her to be coy. She looked back at him.

"You look like an alpha's alpha." She said happily.

They continued to stare into each other for a few moments longer, until Humphrey realized where they were.

"So, um I have no idea how we're supposed to do this." Humphrey said nervously.

"Alright, well I'll start, and just follow my lead." Kate said assuredly.

They then began the marriage process, and Kate led Humphrey through the complicated steps that would eventually make them official mates for life. Finally, it came time for the last and most important part of the ceremony.

"Alright," Kate whispered over to Humphrey, "Now all we have to do is kiss, and we're done."

"Oh, well that's easy," Humphrey said beaming. Kate began to lean in closer to Humphrey, but he pulled back, leaving a confused Kate in front of him.

"What it is Humphrey? What's wrong?" She said as she began to panic, fearing that Humphrey was about to back out of their marriage.

"No, nothing's wrong, but before we do this, I just want you to know that I'm glad you came after me when I left. I'd have nothing if I didn't have you. I love you."

"And I'm glad I chased you down, or I'd be marrying someone else right now." Kate said right back. "Now hurry up and kiss me, before all these people realize how crazy we are for getting married."

Humphrey closed his eyes, as did Kate. They began to lean forward, searching through the darkness to find each other's noses. They began to slowly yet steadily close the gap between them, and both Kate and Humphrey's stomachs were doing cartwheels. The adrenaline flowed through each of them like a raging river.

Humphrey almost thought that something was wrong right before he came in contact with a wet nose. He opened his eyes in shock, and was met with the beautiful face of his mate, who would now be his for the rest of his life.

The roar that came from the wolves around them was nearly unfathomable as the din sounded more like a bout of thunder than anything.

Kate laughed, and tackled Humphrey on the altar. She kissed him one more time, before remembering that they were out in public, and quickly pulled herself off him. They stood proudly beside one another, as the first alpha and omega couple in the history of the pack.

But as if the planet had suddenly sucked dry of oxygen, a hush quickly descended upon the valley. Everyone now stared at the altar, as Garth climbed up brazenly to join the newlyweds. Kate noticed Garth approaching, and quickly turned to face him. She growled so fiercely that Humphrey jumped and turned to see what was going on.

"Hey Kate, that was a great wedding!" Garth said. "I'm glad that you were actually able to go through with one at last."

"What do you want Garth?" Kate said, getting right to the point.

"Well, for starters, I want to have the marriage we _arranged_ for in the first place." He spat, glaring up at Humphrey.

"Are you kidding? I just got married, and we already got your fathers approval."

"Well this marriage didn't really count, seeing as you just kissed a filthy omega! And I'm _not _my father, so don't think that his approval makes everything better for you two. You were stupid to marry _him _in the first place." Garth said, waving his paw lazily in Humphrey's direction.

Humphrey now stepped forward. There was something about him now that made the omega appear more deadly than usual. He was a lot smaller than Garth, but as he approached he seemed 20 feet taller.

"Now listen, you aren't going to come in and tell us what to do. You aren't going to talk to her like that, and you're going to leave now." Humphrey said.

"How dare you talk to an alpha that way you filthy coyote!" Garth said, outraged at Humphrey.

"For the last time… I'm _not_ a coyote!" Humphrey shouted as he lunged at Garth, tackling him as they were both thrown from the altar. Garth began to furiously claw at Humphrey, and the crowd gasped. Garth pushed Humphrey off him, sending him flying. Humphrey hit the ground with a disgusting thud.

"Humphrey!" Kate cried out as she ran towards him, but Garth stepped in front of her.

"Now come on Kate, do you really love him all that much?"

"I love him more than anything, and I'm willing to kill you to prove it." Kate sneered.

"Oohhh…" Garth said sarcastically. "I'm absolutely terrified!"

Kate went for Garth, but he dodged her advance. She tried to turn around, but it was too late. Garth took his razor sharp claws and dug deep into her hind leg. Kate saw a blinding flash of light, and then darkness enveloped her.

Humphrey struggled to get up, but as soon as he saw the blood gushing from Kate, he bolted up and ran straight at Garth.

_I'm tired of being pushed around, I'm tired of people trying to take Kate away from me, and I'm tired of having to fight so much. But this is it. If I could just get rid of Garth, me and Kate can have a happy life together._

Humphrey slammed into the side of Garth, who hadn't even noticed the omega's charge. Garth sprung back up with an uncanny agility, and growled.

"Kate deserves better than you. She deserves an _alpha_!" Garth shouted. "Now it's about time you learned your place."

So they went back to fighting, and Humphrey seemed to be gaining a slight upper hand. Garth was getting more and more tired by the minute, and Humphrey could tell that if he could just hold him off for a little while longer, he could defeat Garth.

Garth went for Humphrey's throat, but he easily dodged it. While Garth sailed by him, Humphrey saw his chance and pounce at Garth, tearing into his side with his claws. Garth fell unconscious to the floor, and a blood spattered Humphrey stood above him, the victor.

Garth was quickly and quietly taken away, just as he regained consciousness. He mumbled something unintelligible at Humphrey, and was then carried out of the valley.

Humphrey's heart suddenly deflated in his chest, as he slowly turned to see the gruesome scene before him. Kate lay on the ground, eyes closed shut. She looked so peaceful that she could've easily been mistaken as asleep, if it wasn't for the pool of crimson around her.

Humphrey rushed up to her, the tears already coming to his eyes.

"Kate, it's over. It's all over now. We can go home now and be a family!" Humphrey shouted enthusiastically at her, as if she was awake. When the only response he received was silence, he leaned in closer and whispered to her.

"Come on Kate, you have to wake up. We have our entire lives ahead of us. Kate don't do this! Kate WAKE UP!

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><p><strong>Well I hope you like the cliffhanger I left things at! Only one more chapter to go, and this story is done. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter despite the wait, and be sure to leave a review if you liked it! Thanks again for your support everyone! This wouldn't be possible without all of you.<strong>

**Well that was a really long wait! And I'm sorry everyone but I hope this is worth it! As a sort of apology, I'm posting an extra one-shot tomorrow. So stay tuned for that, and you can check my profile for additional information regarding story updates, and more. **

**Thanks, and please review!**

**-wolfgangwalker**


	8. Of Princesses and Howls

**A/N: Wow, it's been a long time! But, I finally got my act together and finished the last chapter to A Beautiful Sadness. It's been in the works for a long time, and I hope everyone enjoys it. I'm kinda sad that I'm completely done with this story, but I have a lot of new ideas, so on to the next story! This has been my most enjoyed story so far, so I hope that this is a fitting ending to the story. Thank you everyone for your reviews and your support, and now on to the story..**

**Thanks as always,**

**-wolfgangwalker**

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><p><strong><span>-A Beautiful Sadness-<span>**

_"Sometimes love means letting go when you want to hold on tighter"_

_-Melissa Marr_

**The Final Chapter: Of Princesses and Howls**

Chaos took hold of the previously tranquil day, and shaped it into a panic that rooted itself deep into the atmosphere around the altar. But Humphrey was immune from this bedlam. All he could focus on was Kate's vacant figure, and how she looked so peaceful as she lay still on the cold hard earth. Even spattered in red, she still proved to be more beautiful than any wolf Humphrey had ever known.

The blood was beginning to pool around her now, draping Kate in a dress of sickly crimson. Everyone was in a panic now. Turmoil had successfully erupted across the valley, and wolves had already begun to argue amongst themselves over who was at fault for the killing of the future leader of the western pack. In the mounting chaos, no one noticed as Kate opened one eye and looked out among the aftermath of her wedding day.

Her gaze darted around frantically until she was able to find Humphrey, standing alone in the middle of the panic. He was looking at the ground now, a blank expression securely fastened to his face. She couldn't tell what was wrong with him, until she noticed the tears falling bitterly from his face.

And then she realized why he was crying. She could feel the pain coming from her hind leg, and she knew it was bad. She slowly, agonizingly looked down, and saw her leg. Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath as to belt a scream, but she was too weak to make a sound. Slowly, Kate began to feel lightheaded as her eye began to close, exhausting the warm light of day and plunging her into a deep, crushing oblivion.

_Kate, you have to stay awake… _She thought to herself. _For Humphrey, Humphrey, Humphrey…_

To Kate, the world went black. Darkness took hold of Kate in its talons, and she was swept somewhere far away…

After the more animated wolves had settled down, some healers came to retrieve Kate. She was quickly moved up the hillside and into the den, where they would try to revive her. But with all of the blood she had spilled, Kate's chances didn't look great. As soon as they got Kate situated in the den, several more wolves rushed to her side and began to treat the grisly cut, which looked worse now than ever.

The hours slowly drifted by, and with every passing second, Humphrey grew more and more anxious. Kate was still being tended to, and she was still unconscious.

Night descended on the valley swiftly, assassinating the last of the blood red sunset and bringing an eerie tranquility to the valley. Humphrey looked over at Kate, halfheartedly believing that she would miraculously wake up right before his eyes, but she remained cold and silent like the belly of the cave harboring her. Humphrey looked down however and saw the shallow, rapid rising and falling of her chest, and knew that she was still clinging to life.

_Hang on Kate, just keep breathing. Don't leave me now, not like this…_

Humphrey began to feel sick watching Kate, so he decided to go outside the den to catch a breath. He stuck his nose into the wind, and took a gulp of the brisk, refreshing mountain air. His rapidly beating heart began to abate, and for a brief, fleeting moment he forgot about his fears. He sat there for a while, imagining what he would say to Kate when she woke up. He imagined her getting up and running straight to him. He would kiss her, and he would hold her in his arms until the end of time.

In the middle of his uplifting daydream, one of the wolves that had been tending to Kate walked outside to join Humphrey. Humphrey looked over and noticed she had a disconcerting look of frustration and sadness on her face, which meant that she could only be the carrier of disparaging news.

"Your mate-"

"Yes, what's happening with her? Is she going to be ok?" Humphrey began franticly asking her as his eyes widened and his heartbeat accelerated once again.

"It-" The female wolf paused, crafting her words delicately and meticulously, as if she was about to deliver a rousing speech. "She doesn't look good… The wound is patched up for now, but she still isn't regaining consciousness. We- we just don't know what's wrong with her. I don't think that she'll be able to make it through the night. We'll leave you alone with your wife so you can… say your goodbyes."

"Wha- goodbyes? No. No, no, no I'm _not_ saying my goodbyes!" Humphrey shouted at her. "We just got married! We're supposed to have a life together! How can I…" He trailed off. He felt like the life had just been sucked right out of him. In the same day, he had pledged to love Kate forever, and now he was being asked to let her go.

"I'm sorry, you can have as much time as you want with her."

The den was cleared out, leaving only a grief stricken Humphrey and his bride. Humphrey walked up to her reluctantly, still weary with shock. There she was, a slain princess laying on her throne of silent desolation. He couldn't breathe, as he had never stared at the face of death so closely before.

"Kate…" He said with a gulp. "If you can hear this, I need you to wake up. I know you may have never realized this, but I need you… You have to come back to me-"

Humphrey paused and sighed, knowing that there was no way he could coax Kate out of death. He took a moment to clear his throat and to brush away his tears, and continued.

"I know we didn't get a chance to prove our love for each other, but I cherished every single moment I got to spend with you. I guess I still can't believe that you're leaving me, because I can't imagine life without you. I adore you _so much_, and there is nothing in the world that could make me believe that there is any girl out there who is better than you. You will always be my one… and my only. Goodbye Kate… I love you."

Humphrey couldn't take it any longer, so he turned away and began to walk out of the den. He couldn't help but feel so… _alone. _Never before in his life had Humphrey felt so lost, and so empty as he stumbled away from Kate.

"You didn't really mean all of that, did you?"

Humphrey flinched as he began to look around, searching for another wolf in the den who could've claimed ownership of the weak voice, but he knew he would find it empty. Empty except for one other.

_No, it… couldn't be. _Humphrey thought as he began to slowly turn around.

He was met with a pair of beautiful hazel eyes, which looked tired and strained, yet still managed to hold up a glint in the dim light. Kate managed a meager smile at him, and made an attempt to stand up. She cried out however as her leg buckled beneath her, and she collapsed back to the ground.

"Of course I meant it… Every word" Humphrey said as he ran back to Kate in shock as he layed down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. Kate began to inexplicably cry, which in turn made Humphrey teary eyed as well. Kate turned around to face her mate, tears still lining her eyes.

"Kate- I thought I was going to lose you."

Kate strained, but she was able to smile.

"I'm not going _anywhere _without you. You aren't going to lose me _that_ easily, _coyote_."

Humphrey smiled, and held Kate even tighter. He began to frown however as his gaze returned to the gash in the side of Kate.

"Kate, I'm sorry… I couldn't defend you, and I let Garth nearly kill you. You deserve an alpha, or at least someone who could've protected you, and then this whole thing wouldn't have even happened."

Kate rolled her eyes as she leaned in close to Humphrey. She could feel his warm, moist breath tickling her face as she leaned up and put her nose gingerly to his ear.

"Humphrey, you never give yourself enough credit. You've saved my life before, and you didn't need to be a stupid alpha to do it. This would have happened even if you had been the strongest alpha ever. You're my brave omega, and I wouldn't want it any other way." She said with a smirk. "Besides, I didn't fall in love with an omega; I fell in love with _you_."

Kate smiled as she moved her muzzle closer to her mate's and kissed Humphrey. When she pulled back, she could already tell Humphrey was in a much better mood.

"I'm just sorry that you have to see me like this. I feel so weak, and I look terrible-" Kate said, gesturing to her blood-spattered coat.

"Are you kidding me?" Humphrey said with a sly grin. "You look just as beautiful as the day I first met you… the first day I knew that I was crazy in love with you."

"Aw, Humphrey you may not seem like it to anyone else, but I think you're the most charming wolf I've ever met." She said as she gave Humphrey another quick kiss. "_And_ you charmed me without being an alpha."

"Well in my defense you weren't that hard to charm." Humphrey said with a wink. Kate couldn't help but giggle.

Humphrey and Kate laid on the cold, rocky floor, staring into each other's eyes. They stayed like that until one of the wolves came back in to check on the two, and realized that she was awake. All of Kate's healers rushed back into the den in one giant, clamorous wave and immediately and began treating to her once again.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave for a little while." One of the wolves exasperatedly said to Humphrey.

"No!" Kate shouted in desperation, her typical commanding tone making everyone around her jump. "Humphrey please, just stay a _little_ bit longer. _Please?"_

She reached out a paw to Humphrey, and he took it. How could he not?

"Oh alright, if you insist." Humphrey said to her with a smile.

The healer rolled her eyes, but didn't protest.

Humphrey stayed with Kate through the night as she slept, and got up periodically to make sure she was doing ok. As he watched her sleep, he knew that things could only get better from there.

_Several Months Later…_

The full moon illuminated the howling rock in a brilliant white light, making the hill look like something out of a dream. The light rippled across two wolves as they walked towards this rock, dancing across their gold and grey coats.

"Humphrey I don't know about this… there are _a lot_ of people here, and it's getting late."

"Are you kidding me? Kate you look great!"

"You _know_ that's not what I'm talking about." Kate said as she walked alongside her mate on their way to the rock.

"Kate the pups are _fine._ Don't you trust your mom to look after them for one night? I mean, there's no way she's going to let anything happen to her grand pups."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Kate said with a smile, as she playfully nudged him.

"I'm _always _right." Humphrey shot back enticingly, nudging his mate back.

"Ah!" Kate cried as she stopped and sat down, clenching her teeth.

"Kate, are you alright?!" Humphrey said as he spun around and made sure Kate was ok. "Did I hit the spot?"

"Yeah- but it's ok, I'm fine." She said smoothly, trying to downplay her pain. She looked down and frowned at the small discolored patch of fur on her hind leg, where there had been a huge gash just months before. She wished that she could silence her pains, but for now she would simply have to put on a brave face and enjoy the night.

"I'm sorry Kate, if this is going to be too much for you, we should just head back."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't howled with my mate in _forever_, and tonight is the perfect night."

"You said it." Humphrey said, looking up into the abyss above. "There's a full moon, the stars are out, and I've got my stunning alpha with me. This _is _the perfect night."

Kate and Humphrey finally arrived at the grandeur that was the howling rock, where they were greeted by what seemed to be hundreds of wolves. Kate got the most attention of the night, as she hadn't been seen in public since her pregnancy and her recovery from her wounds. But here she was; strong, dominant, and as beautiful as ever.

She stood tall as her and her mate went to the top of the rock to take their places as the future leaders of the pack. All eyes turned to them expectantly, waiting for them to start off what was promising to be a flawless night.

"Are you ready?" Humphrey asked as he put a paw gingerly to her face and brushed a rogue cluster of hair back over her ear.

"Oh yeah, I'll show you how us _alphas_ howl." Kate replied, with a seductive edge to her voice that made Humphrey's tail wag and made him momentarily lose focus.

"Then bring it on, _alpha_." Humphrey said with a devious grin.

Kate took a deep breath, and let a sweet melody pour out between her lips. Humphrey looked on in shock as Kate brought her muzzle to the sky and belted her powerful melody to the heavens.

Humphrey could feel all of Kate's blazing inferno of emotion as her voice rang out across the valley. He could tell that she was pouring all of her heart and soul into this one moment, and he knew he would have to do the same to keep up with his alpha companion.

He waited for the perfect moment and then joined in with her howl, mixing his voice veraciously with hers. Kate faltered for a second, as Humphrey's saddening yet powerful tone always had a way of taking her breath away, but she quickly joined back in and sang to the moon like she never had before. Alone, Kate sounded beautiful, but when Humphrey joined in, the two made a breathtaking duet that couldn't be matched. Alpha and omega stood proudly on top of their throne singing to the stars above, and more importantly, to each other.

They both were radiant with an air of supremacy that rendered their audience incapable of criticism. These were the two future leaders of the western pack, and tonight they were definitely commanding the skies above with their flawless performance.

Everything began to move in slow motion for Humphrey as he opened his eyes and looked down upon the crowd that were all staring in awe at the two. His gaze shot over to Kate, who was practically glowing in the silvery moonlight. She had her eyes closed, and he could tell that she was savoring this sweet moment just as much as he was.

After all they had been through, and after almost dying several times, they had finally made it to this point. This was their reward to a well-earned victory, and Humphrey couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he basked in the glory.

As their voices died down, Kate moved in closer to Humphrey and muzzled his neck affectionately. She stepped back and flashed him a smile, showing off her teeth that rivaled the pure white of the moon above. Humphrey noticed that her flawless smile had played a more prominent role on her face with every passing day.

"What?" Kate asked, noting the wildly arrogant smile on her lovers face.

"Nothing." Humphrey said as he leaned in and licked her cheek. "I guess I just realized that I'm probably the luckiest wolf in Jasper right now."

"And what makes you such a lucky wolf?" She asked, half in curiousness, half in simply fishing for the compliment that Humphrey was certainly about to give her.

"Because I have the most beautiful mate in Jasper, and I get to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Well, I think she knows that she's lucky to have you too, and that you're the best mate a girl could ask for." Kate said, blushing profusely, as she wasn't used to projecting her emotions so blatantly, even to Humphrey.

"I don't know… she might not feel so lucky after I do this." Humphrey said, the curl of a smile beginning to form on his face.

"Do wha-!" Kate screamed as Humphrey suddenly tackled her and pinned her to the ground. He thrust his wet nose down into her silky fur.

"Ah! Humphrey, _stop it_ that tickles!" She squealed, writhing around on the ground and laughing uncontrollably.

"Yeah- That's the- point!" Humphrey said as he rolled over onto his back, exhausted.

"Alright, now it's _my turn._" Kate said getting up and standing over Humphrey. "Except, mine doesn't involve tickling." She whispered as she bent over and kissed him, letting her tongue slowly roll into his mouth. Humphrey's eyes widened, and slowly closed as he savored the passionate moment.

When they finished with their 'session', they both laid next to each other and watched as a million white diamonds shimmered in the vast, blackened sky above them. They remained a captive audience of this brilliant presentation until the last of the howling had finally died down, and not a sound could be heard except for the wind playing lazily among tall grass and old pines.

The moon still hung superior in the sky, shining brighter than Humphrey had ever remembered it being before. He looked over at his now dormant mate, who had her head resting peacefully on his side, finding solace in his thick ashen coat. He couldn't have asked for a more perfect night with a more perfect wolf.

All of this; the stars in the sky, the dazzling moon overhead, his newborn pups back at the den, and the warm embrace of his companion. This was all for him tonight. Humphrey took a deep, yet shaky breath, as he finally realized that he was done with his pursuit of the perfect life.

He smiled again, nestled in close with his mate, and closed his eyes. And for the first time in a long time, he slept in the company of good dreams, and a promising road ahead.

_-Fin-_

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><p><strong>Well, that's the story! I hope you all enjoyed it! And now at the end of the story, I'd love to hear on what you thought of it! Did you like it, did you hate it, would you read another story like this? I appreciate all of your reviews so far, and they've really helped me to get an impression on my writing. So thank you once again, and I had a great time writing this.<strong>

**My profile is updated with information on what I plan to write next, and a date has been set for the publishing of a new story! So, check that out, and be sure to leave one last review, thank you!**

**Thanks everyone**

**-wolfgang**


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